Mazzulla: “At this point, I only yell at Hugo González in Spanish”
The coach is “furious” about reports that Hugo, who struggled in his second preseason match, was having language problems.
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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