Going 4-0 in the preseason isn't exactly ther most noteworthy achievement, but there's a lot to like about how the Boston Celtics looked in that timespan. Among their biggest standouts from the preseason was Hugo Gonzalez, who may have actually been their most impressive player.
In four games of action, he averaged 14.5 points while shooting 63.3% from the field and 55% from three. It's not that he suddenly looked like a star, but he looked like someone who could very much be the connective piece Boston needs to stay among the elite, whether he's starting or coming off the bench.
This actually isn't that surprising after Gonzalez had a pretty exciting rookie season, even if the numbers won't show it. Okay, that's all well and good, as everyone's all about Gonzalez at the moment. Why is this impressive if it isn't that surprising? Because, for some reason, Gonzalez seems to have found himself in Boston in a way he hasn't found elsewhere.
The stats won't do him justice, but Gonzalez garnered quite a bit of fanfare with his hustle and IQ last year; elsewhere, Gonzalez hasn't really made much of an impression. During the FIBA Qualifiers this summer, he averaged eight points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. While his rookie stats aren't that great, Gonzalez did not stand out during the perfect chance for him to do so.
Even his numbers for Real Madrid weren't that great before Boston drafted him. He averaged 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field and 27.1% from three. No one's sure what Boston saw in Gonzalez, but they clearly saw something no one else did!
Celtics & Gonzalez are perfect for each other
When looking at the full scope of things, Gonzalez is only building on his impressive Summer League performance from three months ago. From the very start, it's clear the Celtics not only found something promising from the least likely of places, but they have someone they absolutely cannot afford to lose long-term.
With Jaylen Brown gone, it opens up opportunities for Gonzalez to play, and his showing out the way he did in both Summer League and preseason is about as optimal a start as it gets. It's hard to see how he doesn't get more time after clearly outplaying Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh.
Scheierman and Walsh may be more NBA-ready now, but it's clear Gonzalez's potential is much higher. Better yet, it's clear that Boston simply puts him in a position to succeed that his other teams don't, for some reason. No one knows what it is, but he and the Celtics simply work together.
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