Hugo Gonzalez knows he’s going to have to bring a lot of energy to the floor to log significant minutes for the Boston Celtics during his rookie season. The 19-year-old made the most of his first preseason — and NBA — opportunity Wednesday night, when he showed off his high motor and defensive intensity in Boston’s 121-103 exhibition win over the Grizzlies in Memphis.
Gonzalez subbed in at the start of the second quarter and made his presence known almost immediately. He flashed on the defensive end with two blocks within his first two minutes on the court, which set the tone for his 18 minutes of action.
When given the chance to run on either end of the floor, Gonzalez kicked it into high gear. If the Grizzles gave him an opportunity to get his hands on a pass or loose ball, he went all out to get that ball.
He did all of the above on one particular play in the third quarter, when Gonzalez came up with a steal near midcourt and ended the play with an emphatic one-handed jam for Boston.
Defense ➡️ Offense
C’s rookie Hugo González gets the steal & the BIG slam on the other end! pic.twitter.com/wTXTOmZm9d
— NBA (@NBA) October 9, 2025
We saw glimpses of Gonzalez’s intensity in Summer League, but he was at a different level in his preseason debut. He kept it up throughout Wednesday’s game, whether it was his on-ball defense or crisp rotations. He wasn’t going to let Memphis get anything easy, even in the final frame of a lopsided exhibition win.
When Javon Small tried to turn a Baylor Scheierman turnover into an easy dunk early in the fourth quarter, Gonzalez had other ideas. He came out of nowhere for the chase-down rejection, which was Gonzalez’s third block of the evening.
HUGO GONZALEZ HUSTLE AND CHASEDOWN pic.twitter.com/5QyOM69zFK
— NikNBA🏀 (@NIKNBAYT) October 9, 2025
Overall, Gonzalez logged eight points off 3-for-4 shooting (including a made three-pointer) to go with three rebounds, a steal, and his three rejections. He told reporters that he’s really looking to make a mark on the defensive end of the floor during Boston’s preseason slate.
“Obviously, not every day you can go and have three [blocks],” Gonzalez said after the C’s win in Memphis. “As soon as you can impact the game defensively, making the correct feel, I think that’s the most important thing apart from having big plays or something like that. Just being correct defensively, so you can help the team to the win.”
Gonzalez said the Celtics want to play with a defensive pace that makes other teams extremely uncomfortable. They succeeded on that front Wednesday night in Memphis.
“If you defend, you’re able to run, everybody on this team wants to run once you have an open shot in transition,” he said. “Going for dunks and everything. That’s what we’re looking for. As soon as we have the defense out there, we are able to run. We’re going to be really dangerous.”
Boston drafted Gonzalez 28th overall in June despite the teenager not playing much for Real Madrid last season. He’ll likely start his Celtics career in Maine with the G League Celtics to let him work on his game and acclimate with the Boston system before he breaks into the NBA level.
But if he continues to bring the intensity for Joe Mazzulla in the preseason, Gonzalez may find his way into the Celtics rotation a lot sooner than most anticipated.