‘We got lucky:' Celtics' lead international scout details pursuit of first-round pick Hugo González

Boston Globe

5 days ago

'With a minute or two left, he's just out there diving for the ball and close to getting hurt,' Matkevicius said. 'He does not care. He competes and just wants to win.'
Matkevicius heard about another game in which González injured his elbow going up for a dunk. He was expected to miss the next game, but just wrapped it up and took the court.
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'He's really a true competitor and fans will love him because of that Marcus Smart-type of effort that he just goes out there,' Matkevicius said. 'He guards multiple positions and dives on the floor. He just wants the ball more than anybody else.'
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González now plays for Real Madrid's senior team that won the Spanish League by defeating Valencia on Wednesday, the same night
In the days that followed, the reaction Matkevicius received from people in European basketball circles was loud and unanimous.
'I've never received as many messages after a draft as I did the next day from around Europe, from coaches and managers and scouts,' he said. 'There were a lot of messages I received that were just like, 'Man, great pick.' That was an indicator that usually doesn't happen, and it happened not only from Spain but from other teams as well. For value, for the range we picked at, we got lucky.'
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NBA veterans fill Real Madrid's roster, and the franchise's rich history brings big pressure to win, so it cannot really take time to serve as a talent incubator. That led to scattered opportunities for González this year.
In recent seasons Matkevicius leaned on evaluations from González's games with Real Madrid's junior teams, as well as in international competitions with Spain's under-18 program.
He first saw González play for Real Madrid in a junior tournament when he was about 15, still a year or two younger than most others on the court.
'He was already standing out with his athleticism, physical prowess, energy, motor,' Matkevicius said. 'He was fitting right in and playing well, already playing up.'
González was still too young to truly be projected as an NBA draft prospect, so Matkevicius slotted him in his rankings for players in his age group and continued to monitor his progress.
At the start of this season, Matkevicius began including updates about González in the reports he sent to the Celtics' front office every two weeks. He tried to predict Real Madrid matchups that might give González the best chance to play, but also came away impressed by games in which he was used sparingly.
'He can play around superstars easily,' Matkevicius said. 'He can fit in. One thing that always impressed me about him is when he's playing with the pros and is on the bench or gets subbed out, he's the loudest guy on the bench and it's sincere. He's really cheering for his teammates, really happy. He's not pouting, expecting playing time. He knows who he is and he's very self-aware, and that makes him personality-wise a good fit also.'
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González averaged 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds while playing 14.2 minutes per game in the Spanish League this season, connecting on just 27.1 percent of his 3-pointers. On draft night, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said González has the tools to become a more efficient offensive player, and Matkevicius agrees.
He said it can be tough to evaluate shooting stats for a player whose opportunities are so sporadic. He believes González has good form and has shown at the junior level that he is quite comfortable with the ball in his hands.
'Obviously, the offensive game has to be refined because there's a lot of development left as a 19-year-old,' he said, 'but I wouldn't be afraid to throw him out there now, just because he's physically more advanced than the average 19-year-old and he's got the size and length and a lot of intangibles that already give him a good foundation to start his career.'
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The Celtics will open Las Vegas summer league play against the Grizzlies on July 11 at 4 p.m. Boston will then play the Pistons (July 13, 4 p.m.), Heat (July 14, 8 p.m.), and Lakers (July 17, 9 p.m.) before having a final game added to the schedule.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at