“I just see him being a dog.”
Hugo Gonzalez playing against the Memphis Grizzlies in preseason this summer (Brandon Dill/AP Photo).
While Jaylen Brown’s season-high 42 points was the main headline of the Celtics’ 123-117 victory over the Knicks, it was a rookie’s defensive performance that helped overcome a talented New York team.
Hugo González was drafted in the first round the summer, after playing three seasons with Real Madrid in Spain.
González has yet to make his mark on the season, as he’s averaged just 11.7 minutes per game this year. Against the Knicks, however, he played 22 minutes and was a key piece in helping the Celtics improve to 12-9.
González only put up four points, but he garnered praise from his coaches and teammates for his defense.
“He’s got good defensive instincts, which most younger players don’t have,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said about González post-game. “I think that just comes from being well-coached and playing in a league where you have to play team defense.”
González’s combination of height (6’6″) and athleticism allows him to potentially guard any position on the court. This was on display Tuesday as he handled both extremes, going from guarding center Karl-Anthony Towns to guard Jalen Brunson.
“Whenever we put Hugo in [on Towns], he just did a good job of getting underneath him,” Mazzulla continued. “Just kind of being physical with him. You saw just kind of the depth of our team throughout some of that game. It started with Hugo, it finished with Josh [Minott] and Jordan [Walsh].”
The Celtics have had multiple players emerge defensively this year, as Walsh was also given the task of matching up against opponents stars earlier this season.
As Walsh watched his teammate take on this challenge against Towns and Brunson, he had nothing but praise for the rookie.
“I just see him being a dog,” Walsh told reporters after the game. “You just see the way he works out, he’s, like, zipping. I love when he gets in the game. Last time we played New York he did a great job on Brunson. He obviously did the same thing this time. I thought he did a great job.”
The Celtics will hope that the Spaniard can keep this type of performance up as they travel to D.C. to play the Wizards on Thursday.
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