The Boston Celtics dropped their second straight game Monday night at TD Garden. The hosts fell 112-105 to the Detroit Pistons. The loss drops them down one spot in the East. However, with the Eastern Conference standings congested, they're half a game from third and one from sliding to ninth.
In the closing stages of the third quarter, Joe Mazzulla called for Hugo Gonzalez. The rookie jumped off the bench and raced to the scorer's table. With the Pistons inbounding from the sideline in the front court, Mazzulla wanted Gonzalez's on-ball pressure and defensive tenacity.
Unfortunately for the six-foot-six wing from Madrid, Jaden Ivey beat him to the basket for a layup. The Celtics then tasked Gonzalez with bringing the ball up the floor. That's not his natural role. He's more effective operating off the ball than he is initiating the offense. The possession barely made it past half-court.
As soon as Gonzalez snapped a left-to-right crossover, Caris LeVert poked the ball free. He then retrieved the rock and went in for a two-handed dunk as the 19-year-old rookie careened to the parquet.
Derrick White's uplifting message to Hugo Gonzalez
When Gonzalez's diving attempt for the ball failed, he reflexively put his hands on his head in frustration. When the buzzer blew, he continued to express his disappointment in himself. Then, he punched a chair at Boston's bench. That's when Derrick White came over.
Gonzalez's veteran teammate can relate to the emotions the rookie felt in that moment. Anyone can. Whether one plays basketball or not, low moments are a part of life. White put his arm around him and consoled the young wing.
What was his message?
"Stay with it," said White post-game. "Obviously, he's hard on himself, and tough couple possessions, but [it's] a long season, [a] long game, and just understand there's ups, there's downs, and just know that I've been there, and just trying to have his back."
That support surely meant a lot to Gonzalez. As White noted, the former is hard on himself. He has made significant strides in moving on to the next play after a possession doesn't go his way. At Summer League, that was more of an issue. However, it comes from a good place.
"When I look at my career, 30 years away — I hope — I can say, or at least I think that I did everything within my hand for being the best player I can be," shared Gonzalez while with the Sin City Celtics this summer. "That's what motivates me."
Still, it helps to have the counsel of a veteran teammate who can step in at those low moments and offer perspective that can help a rookie re-center and get back to delivering when called upon.