Celtics' Joe Mazzulla 'Pissed Off,' Rejects Controversial Report on Rookie

The Boston Celtics are a team of mostly veteran players on the roster, although the team did get younger through a series of trades that they made this summer.

One position they got much younger at is the guard spot. With Jrue Holiday gone, they now have all guards under the age of 32 on the roster. Derrick White is the only guard that old.

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Rookie Hugo Gonzalez is trying to find a way to break into the rotation after he came over from Spain. There was a report about Gonzalez that Mazzulla was not fond of.

Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla Angry Over Report Hugo Gonzalez is Struggling with English

Mazzulla made it very clear that he was unhappy with a report that came out that Gonzalez was having an issue with the language barrier.

Joe Mazzulla shot down the report that Hugo is struggling with English:

“Who reported that he was struggling with the language barrier? He’s not.”

“I didn’t like that heading, because he doesn’t have an issue understanding that.. I was pretty pissed about that.” https://t.co/cIOpO5mvIv pic.twitter.com/FsSfdZq2uZ
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) October 10, 2025

“Who reported that he was struggling with the language barrier? Someone put that out afterwards He’s not," Mazzulla stated. "He speaks multiple languages, and I think actually people should speak to him in his native language. So anyone here in a meeting that speaks Spanish, you should talk to him in Spanish. I didn't like that heading because he doesn't have an issue understanding that.

Mazzulla went so far as to say that he was "pretty pissed" about the report. He wants to make sure that he is properly protecting his players from reports that might not be fully accurate.

The Celtics are Hoping to Get Some Minutes from Hugo Gonzalez as a Rookie

Gonzalez has looked pretty good so far in the preseason, and the Celtics are hoping to be able to get him some real minutes this year as a rookie. Having him in the rotation would be very beneficial to the team next year.

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The Celtics are going to use this year as a developmental year for Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and Gonzalez. Since this is likely going to be a gap year, those guys will get a lot of minutes.

Last season, while he was playing for Real Madrid, Gonzalez averaged 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. He shot 44.4 percent from the field and 27.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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