There's going to be a lot of pressure on Hugo Gonzalez to contribute in his second season with the Boston Celtics. Whether it's fair/accurate or not, a lot of people are going to look at the Spanish native as the reason Boston didn't land Giannis Antetokounmpo and instead shipped Jaylen Brown out to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George.
The rumor has it that the Celtics refused to trade Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman in their trade package for Antetokounmpo, which culminated in him joining the Miami Heat.
Again, it's probably not entirely fair. There were probably way more reasons the trade didn't happen (Brown maybe not wanting to join the Milwaukee Bucks, disagreement over draft capital, and the fact that the Bucks may have just found Miami's return more appealing), but that's not going to change how much pressure will be on Gonzalez next season and beyond.
If it's true that the Celtics didn't want to include him in a trade for Antetokounmpo, it's clear that they have high hopes for him. And in summer league, he's already proving he can take that next step and rise to the occasion.
Hugo Gonzalez has been incredible in summer league
Yes, I know it's kind of funny praising a first-round draft pick for his performance in summer league, but that's exactly what I'm doing. Gonzalez has been awesome for the Celtics this summer, and he's looking ready for an expanded role.
In three games of summer league action (all wins, for what it's worth), the 20-year-old averaged 13.4 points, 8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.7 steals while continuing to play the incredible defense that was his bread and butter last season.
It hasn't all been great (31.8/25.9% shooting splits, 3.7 turnovers per game), but he looks way more confident on the court and already looks like a better version of himself from last season.
Gonzalez can already do a little bit of everything, and at this rate, there are reasons to believe he can be a legitimate contributor in every area of the game down the line. He has a ton of time to grow, and he is already showcasing his talents and skills.
He is not going to replace Brown right away, but it's clear that Gonzalez is a special talent. Only time will tell if the Celtics were right to not include him in their trade package for Antetokounmpo. But as it stands, there are a ton of reasons to be excited about his short- and long-term outlook with the team.
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