As each day of the 2026 NBA offseason passes, we inch closer to the start of the 2026-27 regular season for the Boston Celtics. And as Opening Night draws nearer, the outline of the roster that will take the floor for Game 1 of 82 is starting to come into focus as well.
After Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens traded star forward Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, it became clear that this is a critical season for the team's current contention arc, with the team being remade to maximize the rest of the team's sole superstar, Jayson Tatum. What is the ceiling, floor, and our expectation for each of the players currently under contract with Boston given this sea change in structure for the team?
To such an end, Daniel Donabedian
and Justin Quinn of the Celtics Wire took a player-by-player deep dive into the answers for these questions. So let's dive into our assessment for Hugo González for this edition of our player projections for the campaign soon to arrive.
Hugo González - wing
Ceiling
JQ: Among the Celtics youth movement, no other player has as high of a ceiling as González. But that ceiling will not be hit next season barring a near-miracle, either, in the Spaniard's second season in the NBA among a crowded scrum of prospective rotation players. That said, we could also see a good part of the player González will end up being start to really come together next season. What that means in practice as a best outcome on the offensive end would be getting his 3-point efficiency up to about 38 percent and above 3 attempts per game while working on his passing game (and assist-to-turnover ratio).
On the other side of the ball, it means being more consistent with his defense, which is already very good if marred by occasionally trying too hard, and improving his court awareness at the NBA level, goals which fit hand-in-glove. Coupled with what he has already shown us, the Madrid native might be better-positioned than almost anyone to land somewhere near his ceiling. And if he does, he could end the season a starter.
DD: At just 20 years old, González is still something of a project player. However, he might shed that label faster than guys like Jordan Walsh and Ron Harper Jr. did, as he’s already shown flashes of excellence heading into his second season in the NBA.
Although the Celtics dropped Game 7 versus the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, González injected Boston with life every time he was on the floor in that pivotal game. His defense was incredible and his motor was as impressive as advertised. An ideal sophomore year for the Madrid native would feature him shooting closer to 40 percent from deep and averaging around 20 minutes per outing. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla usually prefers experience over everything and hesitates to sub in younger players, yet González proved that he’s capable beyond his years during the 2025-26 campaign.
Floor
JQ: Growth is, as the saying goes, rarely linear in the NBA. So don't be surprised too much if González struggles offensively as he moves up the scouting report in the absence of Jaylen Brown (traded to the Philadelphia 76ers over the summer for those of you who are returning from an Antarctic expedition). Nor if he continues overhelping on defense at times or misjudging the physical inertia he regular uses on that end of the court in ways reminiscent of Aaron Nesmith's time in green and white.
His shot from deep could dip with more attention on him as well, all of which is a long-winded way of saying it could take González most or even all of next season to shake off the uneven tendency of player development in this league. I doubt this happens, but it certainly could.
DD: González heard his name whispered in trade talks involving superstar center Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, but the Celtics didn’t budge. Unfortunately, the rest of the NBA world is privy to this knowledge, placing a lot of pressure on the 20-year-old.
A nightmare scenario for the C’s is that this outside noise reaches González and hinders his development. He will have an opportunity to grow next season, however, a lack of confidence to start the year could lessen his minutes and place him firmly behind Jordan Walsh, Ron Harper Jr., and other wings on Boston’s depth chart. And while time is on the Spaniard’s side, the Celtics would still like to see González improve as a shooter and a scorer sooner rather than later.
Expectation
JQ: I think, as I noted above, that the former Real Madrid player will land closer to his ceiling than his floor. It probably means he boosts the volume of his 3s per game with the efficiency remaining mostly unchanged, with a pass or so more per contest on offense.
His defense will likely improve as the NBA game slows a bit for him, but he'll still be a human bowling ball at times while he further cements the balance between hustle plays and high-IQ defense (which can, but often don't, overlap). He'll start double-digit games, but remain behind Baylor Scheierman as the team's first 2 guard off the bench with occasional minutes at small forward.
DD: It’s difficult to predict the exact trajectory of a player like González, who has a high ceiling and just one year of NBA experience under his belt. But, I imagine his positive development continues and that he remains a part of Boston’s potent wing rotation.
He might not be the first guy off of the bench, yet his hustle and scrappy defense will get him in games. If that aforementioned Game 7 was a sign of anything, it’s that González could grow into a formidable two-way player capable of guarding one through five. Of course, his offense has to catch up with his defense, and I don’t think he’ll average double-digit points per game this early in his career.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Ceiling, floor, expectations: Hugo González with the Boston Celtics in 2026-27
