Latest Hugo Gonzales news should get Celtics fans excited

Excitement has been brewing about the Boston Celtics' first-round pick, Hugo Gonzalez, over the past week. Fans were largely unfamiliar with the Real Madrid product on the night of the NBA Draft, but have since grown fond of the 19-year-old’s gritty play style.

Despite the buzz, there’s been some uncertainty within the organization as to whether or not the Spaniard will be with the team in Las Vegas for Summer League this month.

“I don’t know, you’re always anxious to get your guys over to do that,” Brad Stevens said when asked of Gonzalez’s potential NBA Summer League attendance last week (via CLNS Media). “Literally, they play so late (into the year). We’ll see how he’s doing and how he feels. Summer League won’t define what his career will look like over the course of time. Although we’ll all be antsy to see him, there’s just nothing else to do in July, right?”

Hugo Gonzalez hopes to play for the Celtics at Summer League

While there’s been no confirmation one way or another, signs are starting to point towards the six-foot-six-inch forward being with the Summer Cs in Vegas. During his first meeting with the media on Tuesday, Gonzalez gushed when asked about the possibility.

“I hope yes,” he said Tuesday (via CLNS Media). “I’m pretty excited about it. I just want to get to work already, and I’m looking forward to the next steps.”

In addition, Gonzalez wasn’t included as part of Spain’s 15-man roster for this summer’s EuroBasket tournament. When prompted on the absence of the Celtics' rookie, as well as other notable Spanish nationals, head coach Sergio Scariolo explained that he would’ve been in the squad if he weren’t preparing for his rookie season with the Cs.

As Stevens so aptly explained, Summer League is a ton of fun because it’s the first chance for fans to see their team’s respective rookies, and of course, because there isn’t much else that’s happening in the basketball world. In Gonzalez’s case, the Vegas run would be a great opportunity for him to play an expanded role -- something he wasn’t asked to do much with Real Madrid, considering the volume of former NBA talent on their roster.

Though he made 69 total appearances for the club this past season, he only averaged about 11 minutes per outing. His short playing time left him little opportunity to showcase any kind of scoring rhythm, but he consistently impacted the game with his tenacity on defense and willingness to do whatever is necessary to win.

"It's really clear that he's about the team, and he accepts and is willing to play any role it takes," Stevens praised. "That's not a learned trait for everybody that's in the draft because most of these guys have never sat. And with that comes a humility and also an understanding that you've got to invest every day just to take advantage of whatever opportunity you get."