Rudy Fernandez is a Spanish basketball institution.

Over a professional career that spanned more than two decades, Fernandez made 366 appearances for Spain’s national team, more than any player in history. He also was a mainstay with Real Madrid, winning seven domestic championships and three EuroLeague titles over a 13-year tenure following stints with the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets.

As one of Europe’s most successful clubs, Real Madrid often boasts a roster stocked with NBA alumni. In the 40-year-old Fernandez’s final pro season (2023-24), his teammates included Mario Hezojna, Facundo Campazzo and ex-Celtic Guerschon Yabusele.

They also featured a player less than half Fernandez’s age, with far less experience than those well-traveled vets. But though he was green — and, as such, had a relatively minor role on a Madrid team that was contending for trophies — Fernandez saw real potential in young Hugo Gonzalez, and he’s not surprised that the Celtics did, too.

Boston selected Gonzalez with the 28th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. In an interview with the Herald three weeks later, Fernandez raved about the 19-year-old wing, whom he watched develop from a preteen on Real Madrid’s youth teams to a regular contributor for the senior squad.

“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 was drafted 24th overall in 2007, told the Herald via email. “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. …

“He was always asking questions and paying close attention to everything around him to fit in and keep learning. 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.”

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Gonzalez was just 16 when he made his debut for Real Madrid’s top side. Then, after excelling for its de facto JV team and starring in consecutive Next Generation Tournaments (annual showcases for the top under-18 players from elite European clubs), he became a full-time full-team player at age 18, seeing action in 36 of Real Madrid’s 43 Liga ACB games and 30 of its 40 EuroLeague matchups this past season.

As by far the youngest player on a veteran-laden squad (which by that point had added ex-NBAers Serge Ibaka and Bruno Fernando), Gonzalez’s commitment to versatility, unselfishness and dirty-work competitiveness served him well. He established himself as a legitimate NBA prospect despite averaging 4.5 points and less than 15 minutes per game in the Spanish league and 1.9 points and less than eight minutes in EuroLeague play.

“At first, he didn’t get many minutes with Real Madrid’s first team,” said Fernandez, who retired last offseason, “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.”

Hugo González of Real Madrid in action during a semifinal game between Real Madrid and Unicaja at Movistar Arena pavilion on June 13, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Oscar Gonzalez/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Gonzalez’s international resume also helped put him on the radars of NBA teams. Fernandez said he “really noticed (his NBA potential) when he played with the national team against players his age.”

In 2022, Gonzalez was part of a team that reached the finals of the U17 FIBA World Cup, defeating a French squad that featured five future NBA draft picks (including last year’s top two selections, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr) in the semis before losing to Cooper Flagg, Ron Holland and Team USA. A year later, he led Spain in scoring in the U18 EuroBasket tournament, with his team again losing in the final to a Serbian outfit headlined by Nikola Topic, who went on to be picked 12th overall by Oklahoma City last summer.

Spain’s U18s finished 13th at the European championships in 2024, but Gonzalez dominated, averaging 20.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.

Though Gonzalez has posted strong scoring numbers in age-grade competitions, he likely won’t be asked to do much of that for Boston, at least early in his career. In Brad Stevens’ draft-night news conference, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations lauded his “tough,” “hard-playing” attitude and “willingness to do sacrificial things.”

“He cuts, he goes after the ball, he competes,” Stevens said. “He’s got all the intangibles of a winning basketball player. There’s things he can get better at, just like everybody else at that age, but competitiveness is at a high level.”

Stevens’ only mention of Gonzalez’s scoring was that the team believes he’ll improve as an outside shooter. That was one of the biggest knocks on Gonzalez as a prospect after he shot 27.7% from 3-point range (23-for-83) across all competitions in his final season with Real Madrid.

Fernandez said he “completely agree(s)” with the Celtics’ assessment of his former teammate.

“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.”

Hugo Gonzalez, left, and Baylor Scheierman slap hands during Celtics’ summer league practice at the Auerbach Center. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Gonzalez didn’t have to wait long to experience NBA basketball for the first time. Real Madrid’s domestic season ended (with a championship win over Valencia Basket) mere hours before the Celtics draft him. Days later, he was on the court at the Auerbach Center, running through practice drills with Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman.

Then, it was straight into NBA Summer League. Gonzalez saw action in four of the Celtics’ five games in Las Vegas — the team sat him for one end of a back-to-back to avoid wearing him out — averaging 14.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the tournament. Overall, he lived up to his scouting report, lacking consistency as a shooter (30.2%; 30.4% from three) but showcasing the energy, high motor and cutting ability that Stevens coveted.

“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.”

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is known to be hard on rookies, so Gonzalez will only see NBA minutes this season if he earns them. There will be greater opportunities for playing time, however, following Boston’s offseason exodus of rotation talent, and the Celtics could be more willing to work through a teenager’s inevitable struggles than they were in years past.

If Gonzalez can carve out a role, Fernandez believes he’ll quickly become a fan favorite.

“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,” he said. “And I know Celtics fans appreciate that.”