Celtics' Hugo González has all the attributes to succeed in NBA

New York Times

30-06-2025

Hugo González only played six minutes during a win against Red Star Belgrade in late March, but it was the importance of those minutes that mattered to Real Madrid teammate Xavier Rathan-Mayes. The former Florida State star, who had a brief stint with the Grizzlies in 2018, believes the road environment Real Madrid encountered that day would have rattled almost any other teenager.
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'The Serbian environments,' Rathan-Mayes said, 'there's nothing like it in the world. Nothing like it in America compares. This is 25,000 people that are there two hours before the game chanting, (lighting) flares, the whole thing.'
The scene did not faze González, who the Celtics drafted with the 28th pick last Wednesday. As Rathan-Mayes recalled, the 6-foot-6 wing drilled a 3-pointer and grabbed a couple of rebounds shortly after checking in midway through the first quarter. At the other end of the court, his intense defense limited Codi Miller-McIntyre, who led Wake Forest in scoring twice while in college and topped the EuroLeague in assists in 2024. Real Madrid outscored Red Star by 10 points with González on the court.
'We were between zone and man-to-man and he was just doing a really, really good job,' Rathan-Mayes said. 'Just high energy, getting deflections, rebounding. Any shot that they missed, he was the guy that was rebounding the ball. And that game was a big, big game for us. It was a game that we needed in EuroLeague to continue our push for the playoffs. And I think after that first quarter he never played again, but the minutes that he had were extremely, extremely impactful.'
Why didn't González play again in that game? Rathan-Mayes said rotations aren't as set in Europe as they are in the NBA. On Real Madrid, which was loaded with former NBA players, minutes weren't easy for a young player to come by. Rathan-Mayes estimated that eight players on his team could have played for NBA teams — and played 'really well' — if given the opportunity. Though González didn't always play much, averaging 10.7 minutes per game, Rathan-Mayes said the young wing took advantage when the coaching staff called his number.
'He was a part of a stacked roster,' Rathan-Mayes said of a team that included Facundo Campazzo and Mario Hezonja, among others with NBA experience. 'And obviously he's 19 years old, there's not going to be a ton of playing time for him. I know the kind of American mentality and they look at, 'Oh, he played (10) minutes a game, he averaged (three) points, what are we getting?' And I think the thing to really look at is how he was producing in the games he played. When we played in the ACB (league) and he got 20 or 25 minutes and he played at an extremely high level, man.'
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Behind a long list of established veterans, González did not typically get the chance to play with the ball in his hands. He averaged 3.4 points per game this season and shot 28.4 percent on 3-point attempts. Though Gonzalez's offensive production didn't always sparkle on paper, Rathan-Mayes believes some of his skills should translate to the NBA immediately.
'His ability to get out and transition — he's really, really good in transition,' Rathan-Mayes said. 'He's not a guy that's going to carry the ball full court, but he's one of those guys (that if) you put the ball with him on the wing, in one or two dribbles, he's at the rim finishing. Another thing that he's going to be really good at and that people don't appreciate until you see him in person: He's an elite offensive rebounder at the guard spot. His ability to get to the offensive glass and give a team extra possessions is really special.
'The last thing is just his ability to guard ones, twos and threes. We would put him in the game in EuroLeague and make him guard the best player for five, six minutes and then take him out. And he's 6-7 with long arms, he's athletic. He's just really, really good defensively.'
Rathan-Mayes believes González's time on such a competitive roster will benefit him once he joins the Celtics because he understands what a championship pedigree looks like, having been a part of Real Madrid's most recent title last week. While acknowledging González is 'a raw talent,' Rathan-Mayes said, 'he has all the attributes to be a good NBA player and be a surprise that down the road people look back on the pick and they're like, I had no clue (he would be so good).
'It was a very tough situation for him to be in terms of not playing that much,' said Rathan-Mayes. 'But on the flip side, he has an experience unlike probably anybody in that draft from one to 60. His ability to understand being around great players, his ability to understand how to fit in. And I think one of the biggest things is his ability to understand championship culture and what it takes to win is not like many kids in that draft — in any draft. And that's what makes him special. He knows what winning looks like; he sees what winning looks like. If you don't win at Madrid, all hell breaks loose.'
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After selecting González, Brad Stevens said the teenager has 'all the intangibles of a winning basketball player.' Stevens praised González's cutting, toughness, competitiveness and team-first mentality.
Rathan-Mayes echoed many of Stevens' thoughts while adding that the Celtics should be a great organizational fit for González.
'He's a kid that has no ego right away coming in and he's going to do whatever it requires for the team to win,' said Rathan-Mayes. 'That being said, it was important for him to go to an organization that can … (allow) him to really develop with no pressure to be this great player right away at 19 years old. And I think in the right scenario, and I think he has that with the Celtics, his ability to come in and just learn and get better and develop … I think you'll see him really flourish.
'The NBA game is a big change to the European game, but he's been around some of the best in the world at all times, every single year. And he has the ability to fit in and be the ultimate role player with no ego. And I think that's really special in what the Celtics organization is and what their culture is.'