Mike Zarren shares how the Celtics lucked out at this year's NBA Draft

Friday night at Scotiabank Arena, the Boston Celtics suffered a stunning loss to the Toronto Raptors. The visitors led by 14 with just over three minutes left and appeared to have the game in hand.

However, as the hosts dialed up the defensive pressure, Boston committed one turnover after another. The Celtics' sloppy play in response to the Raptors' defensive aggression was at the heart of their collapse.

Toronto outscored Boston 16-4 in the final 3:03. The home team completed its comeback when Jonathan Mogbo slipped to the basket for a layup with 1.9 seconds left. That gave the Raptors a 107-105 victory.

It's also worth noting that outside of Baylor Scheierman, those on the floor for Boston's breakdown project to end up with the Celtics' G League affiliate in Maine.

Many encouraging performances built a lead that grew as large as 27 points. That includes what the visitors got from Hugo Gonzalez.

And during Friday's matchup, the organization's vice president of basketball operations and team counsel, Mike Zarren, joined the NBC Sports Boston broadcast.

Zarren fielded questions from play-by-play announcer Drew Carter and analyst Brian Scalabrine about a bevy of topics. That includes what went into scouting Gonzalez.

"Hugo never stops," Zarren quickly responded.

He then dove into scouting someone who didn't play a ton of minutes at his last stop before the NBA. Gonzalez only averaged 11 for Real Madrid in the ACB last season. Getting into a game on a team filled with NBA veterans wasn't guaranteed.

"It's hard, but it actually worked to our benefit, I think," conveyed Zarren. "If Hugo had been on a lesser team than Real, he would've played a lot more, and he would've gotten drafted a lot higher. So, you just have to pay attention to the minutes he plays...Everybody loved what we saw from him."

How did Gonzalez do in his second preseason game?

The Celtics' first-round draft pick came off the bench to log 18 minutes in Friday night's defeat at Scotiabank Arena. He registered two points on three shots and snagged five rebounds. However, his performance was more impressive and impactful than those numbers suggest.

Gonzalez is physical at both ends of the floor, including as he strides his way in and around the paint when attacking downhill. He also demonstrated a savviness that comes from developing in an elite organization and at one of the highest levels of professional basketball.

A staple of the 28th overall selection in this year's NBA Draft is the motor he plays with. He was flying around defensively against the Raptors, running in transition to join his teammates, and crashing the glass.

It was an encouraging showing, building off an impressive display in his first exhibition game against the Memphis Grizzlies two days earlier. That consistency will go a long way toward Gonzalez earning minutes that are there for the taking.