The Spanish rookie who stunned Celtics with first NBA performance: meet Hugo González
The 19-year-old impresses in Boston’s preseason win over Memphis with fearless defense and explosive highlights.
Hugo González will never forget this Thursday. The Madrid native made his first real appearance in an NBA game with the Boston Celtics – no more Summer League experiments or friendly showcases, this was the real thing. In a preseason clash at the FedEx Forum in Tennessee, Boston defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 121–103, with fellow Spaniard Santi Aldama starting for the home team.
The Real Madrid youth product logged an excellent 18 minutes off the bench. González scored 8 points, including a transition three and a thunderous fast-break dunk, while adding 3 rebounds and 3 blocks – one of them a spectacular chase-down rejection that denied Javon Small an easy layup.
Strong defensive debut draws praise
More than the numbers, it was González’s relentless defense that caught everyone’s attention. The Celtics blog MassLive listed his defensive effort as one of the four key takeaways from the game, under the headline “Hugo González leaves a memorable first impression on defense.”
“The Spanish rookie had an up-and-down Summer League, but one promising element was his defense,” wrote Brian Robb. “That trend continued against Memphis, as González recorded three blocks off the bench – the most on the team – including a standout chase-down in the fourth quarter to stop a Grizzlies fast break.”
“The 19-year-old also grabbed a steal at half court that led to a spectacular dunk,” Robb added. “He played a steady complementary role on offense too, knocking down a transition three and taking on some ball-handling duties in the second half.”
“If this performance is any indication, González could spend far more time in Boston than in Maine this season,” the writer concluded, referencing the Celtics’ G League affiliate.
“Defense is everything”
After the game, González reflected on what fuels his style of play: “Defense is everything. If you defend, you can run. Everyone on this team wants to run… That’s what we’re looking for. So once we have the defense set, when we can run, we’ll be very, very dangerous,” he said.
It was a statement performance that lifted his profile in the NBA – and by the looks of it, this is only the beginning.
As for Aldama, the Canary Islands forward started for Memphis and contributed 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, shooting 5-for-11 from the field. It was his first appearance since signing a three-year, $52.5 million extension with the Grizzlies.
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