Celtics Rookie Already Following In Jayson Tatum’s Footsteps
On Oct. 17, 2017, Jayson Tatum became the youngest player to start a game in Boston Celtics history — a record he still holds. He was just 19 years and 228 days old at the time.
Eight years later, Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez became the second-youngest player in franchise history to start a game, making his first career start at 19 years and 263 days old.
Boston’s 2025 first-round pick made his NBA debut on Friday, making a great first impression against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. In 22 minutes off the bench, he tallied six points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist, finishing with a plus-seven plus/minus in the Celtics’ 105-95 loss.
Joe Mazzulla rewarded the rookie with his first NBA start on Sunday against the Detroit Pistons. While Gonzalez didn’t make much of an impact on the offensive end with zero points and assists in 18 minutes, he continued to play great defense with two steals and a block in Boston’s 119-113 defeat.
While Tatum immediately established himself as a star and one of the league’s top rookies right off the bat, Gonzalez is more of a work in progress after coming over from Spain, especially on the offensive end. However, his effort and defensive skills are already off the charts.
With Tatum hurt and the Celtics in a transition year, Gonzalez should get plenty of opportunities to gain valuable experience and hone his skills, hopefully allowing him to develop into a key contributor going forward.