There were a lot of bright spots from the 2025-26 Boston Celtics season; it’s just hard to appreciate them after blowing a 3-1 lead to the 76ers in the first round of the playoffs and being on the verge of watching the Knicks win the championship. But it’s true. Despite the outcome, this was a great season overall.
One of the biggest positives was the great play of the 28th overall pick, rookie Hugo Gonzalez. It took him a while to crack the rotation; his stats certainly don’t jump off the page, and he hit a bit of a rookie wall (at least in Joe Mazzulla’s eyes) and fell out of the rotation, but the signs were there.
The eye test was informative enough, but the one stat that really drives home Hugo’s value was his plus/minus, which was +10.89 per 48 minutes, the best by any rookie in NBA history (during the play-by-play era), edging out current NBA Finals hero OG Anunoby by almost a point and half, as he put up a +9.43 figure in 2017-18 as a rookie.
Gonzalez was +246 overall on the season, which trails only Jayson Tatum in the history of Celtics’ rookies, and his net rating of 11.9 led all rookies this season, a class that included Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Kon Knueppel, VJ Edgecombe, and others.
Hugo Gonzalez should play key role for Celtics going forward
Simply put, when Hugo was on the floor, the Celtics were dominant. His blend of size, strength, and athleticism was a great fit for Boston, even as a 19-20-year-old. He’s already a defensive pest, an energy guy, a relentless rebounder, and a player who has a knack for being in the right spot.
He showed some shooting chops and a little bit of off-the-bounce game, but his offense wasn’t a focal point in year one. And that’s the beauty of it. As great as Gonzalez was, there is a lot of room for him to improve.Â
His role should only continue to grow with the Celtics, and there’s a real chance that he’s a key part of the team’s core before long. For Brad Stevens and company to be able to snag a player like that at the tail end of the first round is massive for the team, and is exactly the kind of move that’s super valuable in this current CBA landscape of aprons and tax penalties.
Gonzalez may never develop into an All-Star, although I wouldn’t rule it out, but that’s okay. The Celtics need good two-way role players on value contracts who can accentuate Jayson Tatuma nd Jaylen Brown and help extend this team’s championship window. Hugo is a player who fits that mold to a T and should fill that role for many years to come.
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