With the 28th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics selected Hugo Gonzalez, a 19-year-old wing from Spain.
The 6-foot-6 Gonzalez was regarded as a first-round talent by most prominent draft analysts, but how he’ll fare against NBA-caliber opponents is something of a mystery. He played for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid last season but saw only sporadic playing time as a teenage bench player, averaging 3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and just over 10 minutes per game.
Though he lacks experience, scouting reports laud Gonzalez for his size, aggressiveness, high motor and defensive capability. He struggled as a perimeter shooter for Real Madrid, however, making just 29.3% of his 3-pointers.
Before taking Gonazalez on Wednesday night, the Celtics had not used a first-round pick on a player who did not play college basketball since Guerschon Yabusele in 2016.
The Gonzalez pick came after two transformative days for the Celtics, who reached agreements to trade starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
The Celtics also received draft-day trade offers for Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, according to multiple reports, with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reporting some of those came from teams picking in the top 10. Boston ultimately chose to keep both core players, though future deals remain possible as president of basketball operations Brad Stevens restructures his roster.
The Dallas Mavericks opened the draft by taking Duke sensation and Newport, Maine, native Cooper Flagg with the first pick. Flagg — long considered the no-doubt top prospect in this draft class — became the first New England-raised player to go No. 1 overall since Patrick Ewing (Cambridge) in 1985.
Rutgers’ Dylan Harper went No. 2 to San Antonio, followed by Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe (No. 3, Philadelphia) and Duke’s Kon Knueppel (No. 4, Charlotte). The Jazz, now led by former Boston executive Austin Ainge, nabbed Rutgers’ Ace Bailey to round out the top five. Ainge took over as Utah’s general manager earlier this month after 17 seasons with the Celtics organization, including the last six as the C’s assistant GM.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony called the Bailey pick “a bit of a stunner” on the draft broadcast, reporting Utah was not among the 18-year-old’s “preferred destinations.” Bailey, a talented but polarizing prospect, declined to work out for any NBA teams during the pre-draft process.
The Celtics will be on the clock much earlier when the draft resumes Thursday at 8 p.m. They currently own the second pick in Round 2 (No. 32 overall), which originally belonged to Washington. Boston acquired it from Detroit in a draft-night trade in 2023. The Celtics traded their own second-rounder this year (No. 57) to Orlando in the 2021 deal for Evan Fournier.
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