Most rookie NBA players would rather forget about their debut performance given the tendency for even very good prospects taken early in the draft to play poorly the first time they take the floor in the Association. And while it seems that Boston Celtics rookie forward Hugo Gonzalez is indeed disposed to memory-holing the game he played his first minutes in the league in, the reason why the Madrid native was irked had little to do with a context-appropriate assessment of his debut game.

In Boston’s 105-95 loss to the New York Knicks — the first time the two ball clubs played one another since the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals second round series that saw the Knicks send Boston packing after Jayson Tatum injured his Achilles tendon — Gonzalez had a very solid debut in his 23 minutes of floor time.

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The former Real Madrid wing put up 6 points, 4 boards, 1 assists, and 2 steals on 3-of-6 shooting from the floor, yet it was clear that Gonzalez was perturbed by the outcome of the contest. “Stepping on the floor was good,” he said via CLNS Media. “But still, I’m not having a great memory of this day because we lost a game that we could have won.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 24: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks drives against Hugo Gonzalez #28 of the Boston Celtics during their game at Madison Square Garden on October 24, 2025 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 24: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks drives against Hugo Gonzalez #28 of the Boston Celtics during their game at Madison Square Garden on October 24, 2025 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Gonzalez also pushed back on praise for his defense, despite being the sole impactful player with a positive plus minus in the loss. “I would say that Jalen Brunson dropped 30 points today, so it’s not the day to say that I’m a great defender, I would say, honestly.”

“But still, I’ll try to have my energy and to have whatever (Celtics coach) Joe (Mazzulla) is asking me to do. That’s my job right now, so I’ll do it every time.”

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Hugo Gonzalez is unsatisfied with his Celtics debut