Hugo Gonzalez keeps upping his stock with Celtics at Summer League

The Boston Celtics capped off their Summer League campaign with a 82-76 win over the Sacramento Kings. They'll finish the first stage of the Las Vegas runs with a 3-1 record and a +9 point differential. As of the final buzzer, it's unclear if that'll be enough to earn them a spot in the semifinal round.

Here's what stood out:

The Celtics are clearly happy to have Hugo Gonzalez back

Hugo Gonzalez had the day off on Monday as the Celtics fell to the Atlanta Hawks. He returned to the lineup on Wednesday and the impact couldn’t have been more clear. Not only did Boston avoid having to dig deep into their bench, but Gonzalez had his best game of the summer slate.

He scored from beyond the arc, on the drive, and even made a stop and pop mid-range jumper. More than anything, he was playing with confidence -- as he’s done up until this point in Las Vegas. When the shots are going in, though, that has an entire new meaning. Hugo’s creation is still a work in progress, but it’s tough to not notice the strides he’s made from this time last year.

Gonzalez looks comfortable getting his teammates involved as well.

It’s tough to truly take Summer League at face value. A lot of these guys are fighting for their next pro contract, whether that be in the NBA or overseas. Nonetheless, I have green juice stains around my mouth from all of the Celtics Kool-Aid I’ve been drinking in regards to a possible Hugo leap.

He finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the win over the Kings.

Chris Cenac Jr. hasn’t seen a rebound that he’s not going to go after

Celtics first-round pick Chris Cenac Jr. has put together an impressive week of hoops. It’s easy to see the front office’s vision when they picked him 27th overall last month.

Cenac Jr.’s athleticism jumps off of the screen when you watch him. Anytime he’s got the opportunity to try and dunk on someone, he’s going to do it… try, that is. 

The more impressive aspect of Cenac Jr.’s athleticism is on the glass. He’s been fighting in traffic to secure possession for Boston through all four games to this point. It’s like watching a great tight end go up and snag passes through double coverage.

Even when it’s not his hops on display, the rookie has an incredible nose for the ball.

He’s still raw. There’s no doubt that Boston’s coaching staff will want to continue fine tuning his skills in the months before preseason, but it’s not hard to see a world where Cenac Jr. comes off the bench and injects some extra energy into the Celtics’ lineup in a random January game.

Cenac Jr. finished with a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double with two blocks on the side.

John Tonje has quietly impressed at Summer League

Second-year wing John Tonje has quietly put together one of the most impressive summer circuits of any Celtic. There's been tons of attentions on Boston's rookies, but Wednesday's strong scoring night was Tonje's third in four games.

He poured in 18 points on an efficient 6-10 from the field and 3-7 from deep. There's just a confidence about the way he's shot it thus far. His mechanics look smooth. He doesn't hesititate when opportunities find him.

There's real reason to believe that one of the two open two-way slots will go to the Nebraska standout in the upcoming campaign.

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