The Celtics tipped off their summer league campaign in style on Friday night, beating the Raptors, 83-80, in an overtime thriller. The team’s Las Vegas opener got off to a very ugly start with Boston shooting below 20% from the field in the first half, but things got wildly entertaining down the stretch, with the Celtics’ youngsters gutting out a crunch-time win.
The star of the show was second-year standout Hugo Gonzalez. Hugo had a solid rookie year for Boston and has been in the news this summer with Brad Stevens reportedly refusing to include him in a potential trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. No pressure, Hugo!
But the 20-year-old Spaniard seemed unfazed by any outside noise as he showed up in Vegas ready to lead the way. He couldn’t buy a shot, finishing just 3-for-16 from the floor, yet Gonzalez did everything else for the Celtics, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.
More than the stat line, it was the way he took control of the game, ran the offense, and looked like the best and most comfortable player on the floor. The Celtics’ summer league team is lacking guys to play the point and run the offense, but Hugo stepped up and filled that role, looking very poised playing on the ball, handling with confidence, making some pristine passes, and displaying an impressive two-man game with both Amari Williams and Chris Cenac Jr.
First dunk & boy is it a good one 😤 pic.twitter.com/guoSHLr9n9
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 11, 2026
Hugo Gonzalez looked very comfortable playing on the ball
Sure, in a perfect world, you’d like to see Gonzalez shoot better than 3-16 and 1-9 on threes, but we know he can shoot and the form looks great. Early on, he flowed right into a catch-and-shoot three in transition and confidently buried the shot, showing what he’s capable of doing off the ball.
Hugo Gonzalez almost got a triple-double last night. It was not his most efficient game (3-16 FG), but I love seeing the playmaking progress.
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) July 11, 2026
He finished with 17 points, 10 boards & 8 dimes for the Summer Celtics: pic.twitter.com/4DBxsi1Nwa
But the on-ball stuff is really what’s going to be key for his development. The Celtics have plenty of shooters to surround their creators, but with Jaylen Brown out of the mix, Boston is going to need guys to step up around Jayson Tatum and be able to compromise a defense with the ball in their hands.
And that’s where Hugo shined. He looked great as a handler in the pick-and-roll, snaking through defenders, keeping his dribble alive, drawing help, and consistently making perfect pocket passes for easy finishes. Obviously, the level of competition will be higher in the regular season, but so will his teammates.
In year two, Hugo is expected to take a leap and become a regular contributor. Dominating summer league is the first box to check, and after just one game, the Celtics have already seen enough to be very excited about the potential of what Gonzalez can provide for this team on a nightly basis.
Add us as a preferred source on Google