Yesterday was one Hugo Gonzalez will never forget. It started with his team, Real Madrid, winning the ACB championship. Then, at approximately 5 AM in Spain, the Boston Celtics selected Gonzalez with the 28th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Images from Hugo Gonzalez's NBA Draft watch party after winning the ACB championship with Real Madrid earlier today. It's past 5am in Spain, but no signs of fatigue here. https://t.co/39y7YQuBE1 pic.twitter.com/tDvae2DK4x
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 26, 2025
Shortly after the first round concluded, Stevens raved about Gonzalez's willingness to sacrifice and his selfless commitment to winning.
"When we interviewed Hugo a couple of weeks ago on Zoom, it's really clear that he's about the team, and he accepts and is willing to play any role it takes," said Stevens. "That's not a learned trait for everybody that's in the draft because most of these guys have never sat. And with that comes a humility and also an understanding that you've got to invest every day just to take advantage of whatever opportunity you get."
The Celtics' president of basketball operations also laid out Boston's plans for Gonzalez.
Where will Hugo Gonzalez play next season?
Playing on a title team loaded with former NBA players, it was difficult for the 19-year-old to get minutes. The six-foot-six wing only averaged 11 minutes per contest across 62 games.
That created the question of whether he would remain overseas or come to Boston immediately.
Addressing the rookie's future, Stevens shared that Gonzalez will join the Celtics next season.
He will remain in a familiar setting, again ascending to a higher level of competition and competing against grown men for playing time. However, this looks the part of a gap year for the NBA's original monarchy. There's a path to Gonzalez carving out minutes as he continues cultivating his game.
Will Hugo Gonzalez play at Summer League?
Stevens conveyed the following to Hardwood Houdini about that prospect.
"I think they [Real Madrid] just had finished up a game tonight. I just talked to him. It's 5 in the morning over there. I said, 'Enjoy your night.' He goes, 'Eh, it's a little late.' I said, 'OK, maybe I'll enjoy it for you.'
"So, I don't know. You always want -- you're always anxious to get your guys over and do that. Literally, they play so late that we'll see how he's doing and see how it feels. Summer League won't define what his career will look like over the course of time. Although, again, we'll all be antsy to see him, right? That's just kind of the way we're wired. There's nothing else to do in July."
While Celtics fans may have to go without seeing the team's first-round pick play in Las Vegas, Gonzalez sharpening his game with Boston's coaching staff while competing against NBA competition should be music to their ears.
The organization has a strong track record of helping shooters to improve. That's one of Gonzalez's primary weaknesses he needs to address. He must refine his mechanics and expedite his release. The Celtics are optimistic about what they can do for him on that front.
"He will become a better shooter, I believe that," voiced Stevens. "We've got a good development program for that. So, I'm excited about him."
Gonzalez moving to Boston as a rookie gives him a chance to quickly start the process of getting acclimated. Not only to a new city but a new country.
The same goes for him getting comfortable with the differences of the NBA game. And just as he received great coaching from Real Madrid bench boss Chus Mateo and his staff, the Celtics have done an outstanding job of helping develop players up and down their roster.
Gonzalez coming to Boston for the 2025-26 campaign is exciting news that should help him maximize the talent and mental makeup that convinced his new team to take a home run swing on a 19-year-old kid from Madrid.