Hugo González, terrible debut for the former Real Madrid player: inexplicable haraqiri of the Celtics

The curtain has opened on the new NBA season and Hugo Gonzalez and their Boston Celtics They were mere opening acts that fell apart in Detroit. In an initial duel between the two best teams in the Eastern regular season last year, the Massachusetts team dominated the stage but for a limited time. The Celtics were 20 up (52-72) almost halfway through the third quarter thanks to a resurgence Paul George with 38 points, but they ended up losing against the momentum of the always fighting Pistons with a run of 23-0 for the final 121-113.

Hugo, too shy, was almost 0 in everything with no points after missing his only shot, no assists and only 3 rebounds in 10 minutes on the court for the former Real Madrid sophomore. Detroit leaned on its star and MVP candidate Cade Cunningham (22 points), but also in the 22 points of Jalen Duren and the 21 of Duncan Robinson, devastating from the outside with a 5/9 in triples.

More successful in distributing than executing, Jayson Tatum He signed 11 assists but his very erratic 6/23 in field goals and 0/7 in triples ended up being too much of a liability for Boston. His almost zero aim contrasted with a devastating Paul George, with 12/21 in shots and 7/12 in triples. The 36-year-old forward began with a shocking letter of introduction to the Celtics to come and say that, apart from being the main return in the transfer of Jaylen Brown to the Sixers, he can also be a replacement for the MVP of the 2024 Finals.

But more is needed than a George who, along the lines of the Celtics, ended up losing in the face of the Pistons’ revolt between foul problems and the rough defense of the current Eastern champion of the regular phase. In the same way that it will not be easy for Tatum to fully rediscover himself after his injury, it will not be easy for Hugo to transfer the good manners shown in the Summer League and the preseason to the highest level.

The ’28’ is asked to be as daring in attack as in defense after a more discreet offensive role in his year of rookie and entered the trading floor loaded with good intentions. The Spanish international dared to shoot a triple after bounce and, as if the failure affected his confidence, little else was known about him in the rest of the time he played, scarce on the other hand with those 10 minutes.

Part of this was also due to the context of the game, since the forward of 20 years He waited in the corner waiting for open shots that didn’t come, although in both the summer league and preseason he was also more proactive in getting involved in the game beyond waiting for three-pointers released in the corners.

The Real Madrid youth player also did not have the effect on defense that he usually does despite taking charge of several of Cunningham’s possessions. Nor did they give him the opportunity to show off as the Pistons showed off a more dynamic attack, a priority to overcome the Conference Semifinals from last campaign.

But part of it is also that they already know Hugo and know that holding the ball too long or taking too long to make decisions when he is the defender of the ball is giving him the opportunity to sink his teeth. Cunningham operated quickly in that sense, penetrating without thinking, passing quickly or getting rid of the fast Spaniard by blocking each time he received the ball.

Hugo González entered the second rotation of the Celtics, alternating between the ‘2’ and the ‘3’ in his minutes on the floor and saw him as a good friend but also as competition on the bench. Baylor Scheierman He passed him with 18 minutes, in which he scored 8 points and 3 rebounds.

However, if there is a team in which the meager playing time in a game is Boston with the flexibility of its coach Joe Mazzulla to adapt their quintets depending on the rival they face. In its debut, Boston presented a starting five with Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George and also newcomer Mitchell Robinson.

White contributed 17 points as did Payton Pritchard from the bench, although no one was as disruptive from the second unit as Devonte Green in Detroit with 19 points in 18 minutes.

To his 33 years old, Green is the definition of a worker in the NBA, as he had to play four years in Europe after not being drafted in 2015, landing at CB Marín Peixegalego of LEB Plata -current Second FEB-, to later play for Trieste of the Italian league and German Ratiopharm Ulm. The hard-working Pistons, looking at the two versions of the Bad Boys, They come as no surprise to a born worker like Green. His character overwhelmed the Celtics at first on the wrong foot to Hugo González.