Celtics Rookie Hugo Gonzalez Earns Rave Review From Former EuroLeague Superstar

A former EuroLeague superstar had high praise for the Boston Celtics' top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, former Real Madrid shooting guard/small forward Hugo Gonzalez.

The 6-foot-6 swingman, 19, was selected with the No. 28 selection last month after three seasons with one of EuroLeague's top franchises. Across 29 Liga ACB games for Real Madrid last year, Gonzalez averaged 5.2 points while slashing .444/.271/.773, 2.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.5 steals a night.

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In four games for Boston's Summer League squad in Las Vegas (per RealGM), Gonzalez averaged 10.8 points on .302/.304/.588 shooting splits, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 blocks a night.

One of Gonzalez's most decorated teammates, Rudy Fernandez, offered up a rave review of the young player's upside, per Zack Cox of The Boston Herald.

Rudy Fernandez on Hugo Gonzalez: “I’m convinced they’ll form a special bond with him because he’s going to give everything he has in every moment of the game. And I know Celtics fans appreciate that.” https://t.co/BdbxRKl2kk
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) July 22, 2025

Gonzalez began his career with Real Madrid's youth team as a nine-year-old. At age 16, he joined the franchise's reserve team, Real Madrid B, in 2022-23.

“Hugo always stood out in the youth ranks of Real Madrid and the national team because of his physical tools and his scoring ability,” Fernandez, who told Cox. “When he started joining us with the senior team, what stood out was that he wasn’t afraid of contact, and above all, he was always asking questions — he wanted to understand everything happening in the game."

Fernandez called it a career after 21 international seasons last summer. He spent 13 of those seasons with Real Madrid, and overlapped with Gonzalez for two.

Now 40, Fernandez was a three-time All-EuroLeague Teamer and a four-time All-Liga ACB First Team honoree. He won three EuroLeague championships, seven Liga ACB championships, the 2008 EuroCup, the 2008 EuroCup Finals MVP and the 2018 Liga ACB Finals MVP, among many other accolades.

“He was always asking questions and paying close attention to everything around him to fit in and keep learning," Fernandez said of Gonzalez. "For me, young players often only worry about scoring points, but he was different. He wanted to develop every area of his game to become a complete player, not just focus on one thing.”

A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Fernandez was selected with the No. 24 pick in 2007, but he ultimately logged just four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets.

“At first, he didn’t get many minutes with Real Madrid’s first team,” Fernandez offered “but later on, he earned a regular rotation role because he could do so many things — not just be an explosive player, but also defend, rebound, space the floor with his shooting and pass really well with a great feel for the extra pass.”

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“I always tried to instill in him the idea of committing to improving the team whenever he’s on the floor, and he’s done that perfectly,” Fernandez said. “He’s got the physical tools, good hands, a strong understanding of the game on both ends, and he’s a solid standstill shooter. Maybe he could improve his movement shooting, especially coming off screens, but he’s the type of player who gets better every day.”

Fernandez went on to project an extensive NBA career for his young charge.

“Hugo is very smart, and that gives him a level of maturity beyond his years,” Fernandez said. “The NBA is tough, but the key for him will be to have patience and surround himself with people who can give him good advice and guidance.”

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