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Celtics Summer League head coach Matt Reynolds impressed with Hugo Gonzalez

Celtics Summer League head coach Matt Reynolds impressed with Hugo Gonzalez

USA Today4 days ago
This year, the Boston Celtics used their first round pick on Hugo Gonzalez, selecting him with the 28th overall pick and the Spaniard showed good early returns in the summer. During the Summer League in Las Vegas, Gonzalez averaged 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while head coach Matt Reynolds took notice of the growth he showed in his game.
Speaking to reporters following the conclusion of Summer League, Reynolds praised Gonzalez's growth and how he worked to become more comfortable throughout the summer. Whether it's high energy on defense or his ability to learn and understand the offense as the summer league went on, Reynolds liked what Gonzalez showed when given the opportunity.
"I think particularly with the offensive system we were running, it's something he's probably not used to playing," Reynolds told reporters. "So whether that's playing with pace and freedom that our group really pushed or in half court, having different reads whether it was on-ball switching or off-ball, different ways our offense was effective I think he became more comfortable with that. Defensively, he's a high-energy player and we really wanted to accentuate those strengths, with each game he became more confident in that as well."
Reynolds believes Gonzalez will have a mixed bag of offensive and defensive responsibilities to work on heading into training camp, but overall, the summer league head coach was impressed with the late first-round pick. It may be hard to envision a role for Gonzalez as a rookie but with Jayson Tatum likely to miss most of the season, head coach Joe Mazzulla could allow players to step up and earn a bigger role in what will be a much different season than the previous two in Boston.
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