Three Takeaways From Celtics' Rookie Hugo Gonzalez's NBA Debut

Above all, Gonzalez's energy shined in his debut. Well known for his motor, he entered the game with it revving and quickly leveraged it to make impactful plays on both ends of the floor. This included tenacious perimeter defense, relentless attacks at the offensive glass and hard-nosed drives. At times, these high-energy plays shifted momentum within the game, displaying the impact Gonzalez's energy can drive as he continues developing.

Gonzalez Needs to Find More Discipline in his Defensive Aggression

While Gonzalez made a plethora of high-value defensive plays in his debut, he still showed some clear improvement areas on this side of the ball. For example, he picked up four personal fouls in his 23 minutes on the court. In some of these instances, he overextended his defensive aggression when trying to make a play, which went downhill as he could not drive the outcome he desired.

While personal fouls aren't necessarily the most detrimental thing to the team, it's key that Gonzalez stays out of foul trouble to keep himself on the court. As he continues his NBA rise, the former Real Madrid standout should look to find more discipline in his defensive aggression to fulfill his true potential to be an elite wing defender.

Gonzalez's Three-Point Shot Remains his Biggest Swing Skill

On the offensive end, Gonzalez found success through his downhill aggression. However, he did miss both of his shot attempts from beyond the arc, which fits into the broader uncertainty around his shooting projection. As a 6-foot-6 perimeter player, especially on the Celtics, his three-point shooting remains his biggest swing skill, as it will be hard for him to bring positive offenisve impact if defenses don't deem him as a threat from range. Over the course of his rookie season, evaluators should keep a close eye on his three-point shooting to gauge his offensive growth and potential.