BOSTON — Hugo Gonzalez said some in the Celtics organization try to speak Spanish with him, but for the most part, he’s soaking in his new NBA life in English. The coaching staff said they’re fine explaining things to him twice so the message gets across, which also means “I’ve got to be more attentive,” he explained.
That’s NBA life for Gonzalez, the 19-year-old the Celtics picked 28th overall in the 2025 draft. Pro life isn’t necessarily new for Gonzalez, who played for Real Madrid last season. So he’s already used to being around adults. Still, there are challenging adjustments and surprises as he also navigates life in a whole different country.
“We’re going really, really deep now in these practices and also in the training camp that we’ve got,” Gonzalez said. “We’re going deep in the details. I think that apart from the basics, they are the most important thing. We’re going into detail on every single situation so that when we are in the game and we’ve got that situation, we can handle it in the best way possible so we can succeed on defense.”
The plan is still unclear for Gonzalez once games actually start later this month. The Celtics have sent their rookies to the G League for portions of the season to get them real playing time. That was the case for Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman. So it’ll depend on how the rotation shakes out for the Celtics and what their plans are for Gonzalez.
Gonzalez already got a taste of American ball at Summer League, though the situations are different. He was also fresh off his Real Madrid season, where he was drafted the same night — or the early hours of the morning — the team won their championship. Comparatively, he’s eased into the transition more over the past few months.
But the real work began this week with training camp and upcoming preseason games. It’ll become clearer what the organization’s plan is for Gonzalez going forward. For now, he’s just looking to improve his English and learn how the Celtics as a team operates.
“In Europe, it’s different and here every single player has impressed me,” Gonzalez said. “I wouldn’t say impressed me because I know how good they are, but they have been practicing — everybody here — super hard. And practicing since the first minute at 100%. So I would say everybody.”
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