The Boston Celtics are going to have a long and difficult season without Jayson Tatum.
Yes, it’s early, but the Boston Celtics are 0-2 after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks. To beat them in the opening game, they needed rookie VJ Edgecombe to win in his NBA debut, but they were easily defeated by the Knicks, who outscored them 42-14 in the second quarter.
There are serious questions surrounding Jaylen Brown as he tries to prove he can be a mainstay on a playoff team in Jayson Tatum’s absence. Brown has been solid so far, but he’s averaging a modest 24 points in two games. If Boston wants to do well, they need more from him.
After the 105-95 loss to the Knicks, Brown singled out rookie Hugo Gonzalez and said all Celtics players need to use him as inspiration going forward.
Spanish rookie Gonzalez was selected by the Celtics with the 28th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after winning the Spanish ACB for two consecutive years with Real Madrid. He did not appear in Boston’s season opener, but made his presence felt in his NBA debut against the Knicks.
Although he only scored six points, he injected effort and energy into Boston defensively, earning him praise throughout the NBA. Brown was among those who praised Gonzalez, saying the entire team can learn from the 19-year-old.
After the loss to New York, Brown said, “Hugo’s doing really well. Hugo’s playing with energy. He’s playing with fight. That’s the mentality we need. He’s picking on guys. I like what I see in him and I like how he protects the other team’s best players.”
“We need more of that. We need more of what Hugo has. It can’t just come from Luke.”
Gonzalez’s impact was not felt on the stat sheet except in the +/- column. The Celtics outscored the Knicks by seven points with the rookie on the court, and he was Boston’s most effective player that night.
He was a bright positive in the defeat for Celtic and looks set to get more playing time in the future.
Former Celtic star Blake Griffin, speaking as an analyst on Prime Video after the game, said he was shocked by Gonzalez’s performance.
He explained why he thinks Celtics head coach Joe Mazzula will be crazy about his first-round pick: “Hugo Gonzalez, my God. Kidd got some playing time tonight.
“He’s been great and knowing Joe Mazzula, he’ll lean into it. That kid was rolling on the floor. When you’re in a situation like this, when you don’t have (all) your star players and you lose a bunch of guys, that’s the type of effort you want.”
“Come out every night and play hard. That’s the only thing you can control. So Celtics fans will love him, Joe loves him. They just need more of it.”
Griffin agreed with Brown’s idea that each of Boston’s players will need to show some energy and heart if Tatum isn’t on the team. That’s the only way Brown can make the playoffs, especially if Brown can’t match Tatum’s performance over the past few seasons.