A Celtics wing was selected to play in the 2026 Rising Stars game, but not the one you might expect.<\/p>\n
Hugo Gonzalez, Boston\u2019s high-energy, high-impact rookie, did not make the cut for the annual young-player showcase, which will be held during NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. Two-way player Ron Harper Jr. will represent the Celtics at the event as one of seven G League players selected.<\/p>\n
It will be an opportunity for the 25-year-old Harper to compete alongside his younger brother, San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper. They are the sons of former NBA guard Ron Harper, who won five championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers in the 1990s and early 2000s.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, one, congrats to him,\u201d Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Monday after the Rising Stars roster was announced<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of cool that they have a family that three of those guys are going to be together. I think that\u2019s pretty amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Harper Jr., who parlayed a training camp tryout into a two-way roster spot, has put up strong numbers for the Maine Celtics this season, averaging 24.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks across 16 G League appearances. Most of his limited playing time for Boston has come in garbage time, but the Rutgers product made a surprise early-game appearance in last Friday\u2019s double-overtime win over Brooklyn<\/a>, subbing in midway through the first quarter.<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, it\u2019s just trust,\u201d Mazzulla said of Harper, who\u2019s also appeared in games for Toronto and Detroit in his four-year NBA career. \u201cI watch him work out when he\u2019s with us. The other side of that is the professionalism. When he gets there early, he\u2019s in the weight room doing what he\u2019s supposed to be doing. He\u2019s in the treatment room if he needs to be. He communicates at a high level.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there\u2019s just a level of trust there that \u2014 his shooting, obviously, it helps a ton. He\u2019s a secondary ball-handler, and I think his defense is good. Any time we\u2019re in games the day after, he\u2019s constantly pushing to become a better defender. So just like the other guys, (if) we put him out there, he\u2019s going to impact winning.\u201d<\/p>\n