{"id":588402,"date":"2026-02-07T14:10:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T14:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/588402\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T14:10:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T14:10:15","slug":"celtics-hugo-gonzalez-now-leads-nba-in-major-metric-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/588402\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics\u2019 Hugo Gonzalez Now Leads NBA In Major Metric"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nesn.com\/teams\/nba\/boston-celtics\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Boston Celtics;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Boston Celtics<\/a> rookie stud Hugo Gonzalez now has the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NoaDalzell\/status\/2020021598049513483?s=20\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:highest net rating;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">highest net rating<\/a> in the NBA, according to CLNS Media\u2019s Noa Dalzell.<\/p>\n<p>Boston overcome a 22-point deficit on Friday night to take down the Miami Heat at TD Garden, with Gonzalez playing his usual feisty defense in 16 minutes off the bench.<\/p>\n<p>The Spanish wing, who turned 20 years old on Thursday, was selected by the Celtics with the 28th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>After developing in Real Madrid\u2019s system and winning titles there, he joined Boston and quickly carved out a role in the rotation under coach Joe Mazzulla.<\/p>\n<p>Through 47 games in the 2025-26 season, Gonz\u00e1lez has averaged 15.4 minutes per game, shooting 47.1% from the field and 34.7% from three-point range.<\/p>\n<p>While his scoring remains modest, his impact extends beyond box scores. His defensive intensity and competitiveness have earned praise, contributing to a strong team defensive rating in his minutes. He has delivered in key moments, including double-digit scoring games with efficient shooting.<\/p>\n<p>Gonzalez stands out among rookies for his plus\/minus, leading the class significantly and pacing for a historic mark since advanced tracking began. His energy on both ends has helped the Celtics maintain competitiveness amid massive roster changes.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The athletic 6-foot-6 forward continues building experience on a contending team, positioning him for growth in future seasons as he refines his skills and earns more trust in Boston\u2019s system.<\/p>\n<p>More NBA:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nesn.com\/2026\/02\/celtics-defense-just-pulled-off-feat-not-seen-in-six-years\/\" class=\"link \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Celtics Defense Just Pulled Off Feat Not Seen In Six Years;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">  Celtics Defense Just Pulled Off Feat Not Seen In Six Years <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Boston Celtics rookie stud Hugo Gonzalez now has the highest net rating in the NBA, according to CLNS&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3766],"tags":[7,45,75,3798,46,633,3528,189,6,28715],"class_list":["post-588402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boston-celtics","tag-basketball","tag-boston","tag-boston-celtics","tag-bostonceltics","tag-celtics","tag-defensive-rating","tag-hugo-gonzalez","tag-miami-heat","tag-nba","tag-noa-dalzell"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116029752900275893","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}