Mazzulla: “At this point, I only yell at Hugo González in Spanish”

The Boston Celtics are entering a season of transition — and head coach Joe Mazzulla is right at the center of it.

After leading the franchise to an NBA title in 2024, the 37-year-old coach now faces a major rebuild. Veterans Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porziņģis are gone, and superstar Jayson Tatum is expected to miss most — if not all — of the season due to injury.

But Mazzulla isn’t just managing roster changes. He’s also fiercely defending his first-round rookie, Spanish guard Hugo González, after reports suggested the 19-year-old was struggling to keep up in training camp due to a language barrier.

González quickly clarified that his comments had been misinterpreted. Mazzulla, never one to mince words, backed his player with passion:

“I don’t know where that came from. Someone said Hugo was having trouble fitting in because of the language — that’s just not true. He speaks multiple languages. In fact, I think people should speak to him in his native tongue. If anyone in the media speaks Spanish, they should use it. I hated that headline. He’s doing a great job understanding everything. At this point, I only yell at him in Spanish. We have long conversations too. I don’t know who wrote something so ridiculous — it’s not what he said.”

Celtics blow 27-point lead in preseason loss

Meanwhile, Boston played its second preseason game Friday night in Toronto, falling to the Raptors 107–105 in a heartbreaker. With Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser sitting out, the Celtics built a commanding 27-point lead — only to watch it evaporate in a disastrous fourth quarter.

Boston committed 10 of its 29 total turnovers in the final frame, including an 18–2 run by Toronto in the last 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Jonathan Mogbo sealed the comeback with a game-winning bucket with just 1.9 seconds left on the clock.

The Raptors were also short-handed, missing Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Jakob Poeltl, and Immanuel Quickley.

González shows flashes, but a quiet night overall

González, who impressed in his preseason debut, had a quieter outing this time. He played 18 minutes, was subbed out in the fourth quarter for Kendall Brown, and finished with: 2 points (off a tip-in following a Josh Minott miss), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 1-of-3 shooting (0-of-2 from three).

The game also marked the Celtics debut of Anfernee Simons, who overcame early foul trouble to score a solid 18 points. Whether he can adapt to Mazzulla’s defensive system remains to be seen.

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