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After the Boston Celtics chose Hugo Gonzalez with the 28th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, presented by State Farm, Brad Stevens, the president of basketball operations, confirmed the intention to integrate the 19-year-old Spanish forward into the team right away.
Gonzalez, a product of Real Madrid’s youth academy, made his professional debut in 2022 and became a consistent player for the senior team in both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and Spanish domestic leagues during the 2024-25 season. As anticipated, he is expected to make his NBA debut in the 2025-26 season.
When asked about the possibility of adding Gonzalez to head coach Joe Mazzulla’s squad immediately, Stevens responded affirmatively during a post-draft press conference on Wednesday evening.
With the team preparing to enter the next season without their star player Jayson Tatum, and trading away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, the Celtics are excited to have secured Gonzalez from Madrid.
“We’ve been keeping an eye on Hugo for quite some time. He has certainly been on everyone’s radar, and we’ve followed his impressive performance at Real Madrid closely, including his participation in various U18 competitions. I’m a huge admirer of his playing style. He’s tough, plays hard, aggressively pursues the ball, and competes at a high level. He possesses all the qualities of a winning player. There are areas he can still improve on, as is common for players his age, but his competitiveness stands out,” Stevens elaborated on the scouting report.
“He may be young, but he has an old soul,” he continued. “He has been playing alongside experienced adults for a significant time, including in a team filled with ex-NBA players and top-level professionals from around the globe. Thus, he has been exposed to high-level competition and excellent coaching.”
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