Celtics Summer League Notebook: Joe Mazzulla shares Jaylen Brown trade thoughts, Hugo Gonzalez in Vegas, and more

LAS VEGAS -- It was a typical Summer League scene on the UNLV campus. As reporters flooded into the gym, we were greeted by a swarm of people. Some familiar faces. Some new ones. Coaches who have been with the Boston Celtics for years, and others who seemed to be Vegas implants.

Neemias Queta was there, fresh off signing his new four-year, $56 million extension with the Celtics. He's not on the Summer League roster, but he was there working nonetheless. The Portuguese big man was all smiles.

He wasn't the only Celtic in the room who wasn't participating in Summer League, though the other was a coach. Boston's head coach. Tucked right by the gym's entrance was Joe Mazzulla.

Mazzulla hasn't spoken to the media since the end of the playoffs. Since he and the Celtics blew a 3-1 lead to the Philadelphia 76ers. Since the NBA Draft. And perhaps most importantly, since the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to those same Sixers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks.

"I think the reaction is just still processing it. I think, obviously, when something like that happens, it's not a black-and-white type of thing," Mazzulla said of the Brown trade. "There's a ton of stuff that goes into it on and off the court. The part that I hope gets talked about more, and the part that we want to focus on the most, is really just the respect, the appreciation, and the gratitude for what he did for the Celtics for 10 years. 

"He [was a] Celtic longer than I have been. He was there before me. He set the tone and started that, and was a part of special things, and continued that. And obviously, was one of the biggest reasons why we were able to be as successful as we have been. So that, to me, is what we have to focus on more: the respect as a competitor and the gratitude for what he's done.”

It's been just over a week since the Celtics lit the entire NBA landscape ablaze. A few days later, the trade became official, and Brad Stevens sat at the podium, explaining himself for 40 minutes.

To Stevens, the decision hinged on a few things. One, the desire not to have two players make up 70% of the cap. Two, the desire not to have two players taking up so much of the team's usage. And three, future flexibility.

The subtext of his press conference? Boston didn't want to pay Brown a max extension, and this was the best offer available to the Celtics at the time. Despite being asked, why the move had to happen right now seemingly still remains a mystery. 

That said, the decision came from the front office. Not from ownership, despite incessant claims from upset fans. And certainly not from Mazzulla.

“Not input, just, Brad comes to you and talks to you and gives you a breakdown and an understanding," Mazzulla said when asked how much input he had. "And in moments like this, obviously, there's great alignment within the organization, and there's conversations that are always going to be had. But I think in moments like this, this is where you just listen, you trust, and you have an understanding for what they do. I think Brad [is one of] the absolute best at what he does, and there's just a level of trust that you have.”

The trade is done. There is no going back. Brown will report to Philadelphia come October, and George will be in Boston. Now, it's all about navigating life after Brown.

Jayson Tatum will be the same face of the franchise he's always been. Payton Pritchard will be looking to build on a breakout season, and Derrick White will hope to bounce back from a brutal one (on the offensive end). The Celtics will have to create their identity all over again.

“I think that's one of the big questions is like, every time something like this happens, it's like, how are you going to replace? You're not going to," Mazzulla said, regarding how the team will change without Brown. "Obviously, not only what he's done in his career, but what he did this year, you don't replace that. And I think that's where it's not a black-and-white thing, right? There's two sides. There's obviously a relationship there, and there's things there, but there's two sides to it. 

"We also brought in people, right? And so, we have to have an understanding that we're not asking anybody who comes back, whether it's free agency, whether it's trade, whatever, to be anything that he was, because we're not going to do that. But they got to be the best version of themselves, and they have to bring things to our team to try and help us become a better team.”

Boston did, in fact, bring in new people. Players who will absolutely make an impact on and off the court in Boston. Comparing them to Brown would be unfair, though in George's case, that type of talk is ultimately inevitable.

Mazzulla doesn't want George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley to join the Celtics and adapt to what's going on in Boston. He wants to take their biggest strengths and weave them within the fibers of what it means to play Celtics basketball.

“Well, I mean, one, they're bringing something in from [their] end," Mazzulla said. "I mean, obviously, with Mitch's ability to protect the rim, his ability to rebound on both ends of the floor, his ability to change the game. We all know part of our game plan was to try and get him off the floor as much as we could because of how effective that he was. He'll bring in something different. 

"And the same thing with Paul George. He brings in experience. He's been in the league for such a long time, and Mike brings in an experience being around great coaches, being around a great organization, other great players, and his leadership. So, it's not about them having to come to our identity. It's about us coming together, and how can we create a collective identity to try to go after something.”

The imprint Brown left on the City of Boston will stand the test of time. It would be a gargantuan task to even replace a single percentage point of what he meant to the fanbase, the team, and the locker room.

“Well, first of all, Jaylen is a Celtics legend, and everybody, [starting with me], is really, really grateful because of the things he has done," Hugo Gonzalez said. "Especially for me, he has been an amazing veteran player. He's been a leader for me. He's been a role model. Everybody here is grateful for him. And after that, it's just trying to look forward, trying to see what's coming, and from here, try to keep building.”

Last year was more than a chance for Brown to prove his worth as a No. 1 option on a playoff team. It was a reflection of the leadership role he took over in Boston. The leadership that helped direct the Celtics for a decade.

"There's a feeling that goes into it. There's an emotion that goes into it. There's a processing pattern that goes into it," Mazzulla said. "And the quicker you can get to just a level of gratitude. He made me a better coach. I know that for a fact. The way he pushed me, the way he pushed himself, the way he pushed the locker room, he made me a better coach, and that’s what you focus on.”

There will inevitably be more to come on the Brown front. More stories. More insight. The Celtics play the 76ers four times during the regular season. And though Brown shared his thoughts on a Twitch stream, he hasn't yet spoken to reporters. That will certainly cause another firestorm.

For now, there's nothing to do but wait. Wait for the regular season to see how Boston looks. To see how Philadelphia looks. Wait, and while you wait, appreciate what Brown did for the Celtics organization.

In the meantime, Summer League. The entire NBA world has descended upon Las Vegas, not to discuss the Brown trade (though in my very first interaction at the Thomas & Mack Center, that was, indeed, the topic of conversation), but to watch the next generation of NBA players.

For the Celtics, it will be Amile Jefferson leading the way. After five years at Duke, with a 2015 National Championship smack-dab in the middle, Jefferson enjoyed a cup of coffee in the NBA, spending two years with the Orlando Magic. He was a teammate of Tatum during his final season with the Blue Devils, Tatum's lone season in blue.

After leaving the NBA, Jefferson briefly played overseas before heading back to Durham as Duke's Director of Player Development, then as an assistant coach under John Scheyer. In 2023, he joined the Celtics as an assistant under Mazzulla. Now, he'll get his first head-coaching gig. A job he didn't even know he was getting until the Celtics' season was coming to a close.

“I found out from Joe a little bit close to the end of the season," Jefferson said. "He came up to me. He told me pretty matter-of-fact. It was exciting. It's an honor. I really appreciate our coaching staff. Everybody trusting me. And for me, it's a really good growth opportunity. Super excited about it. I think we have a great group, and we've had three really good days of practice. It's been awesome.”

Boston has been rotating its assistant coaching room in the lead Summer League seat. Tony Dobbins got a chance, then DJ MacLeay, and last year, it was Matt Reynolds' turn. Jefferson has made sure to lean on those guys for advice, but he also got a front-row seat to how they all handled things.

"I was under Ton, DJ, and Matt, who were all head coaches before me, and the best advice I got from them is just like, enjoy it," Jefferson said. "Do what you want, experiment, try things, make it digestible for the guys, but make them have to learn something. It can be something new. It can be something you believe in, but just do it with conviction. And for me, it's just been trying to be organized.

"Making sure that we're super organized, detailed, and guys are having fun. But those three guys have been super helpful to me, not only for Summer League, but my entire coaching career.”

Jefferson played three years of Summer League himself: Two with the Magic and one with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He understands the nature of the event. First and foremost, it's about development. Helping the guys become the best they can be. And he doesn't have long to do it.

"The biggest thing is to be where your feet are. Be in the moment, have fun, and I keep talking about it, but have a growth mindset," Jefferson said. "Summer League is really condensed and compressed, so you just [need to] hit the ground running Day 1. You don't really have time to ease your way into it. You don't really have time to think about all you've got to do tomorrow. And that's how I approach it. 

"And we know what Summer League is. Some guys are fighting for their future, and it's my job to help them. To help them see their future. All these guys are pros. All these guys are high-level, high-character guys, and [we're] just trying to get the most out of that in a short period of time.”

Boston has plenty of guys it will be looking to develop this summer. Hugo Gonzalez is chief among them. He's spent time with the Spanish national team this summer during the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, but now, he's in Vegas, ready to suit up in Celtics green.

Gonzalez enjoyed a solid rookie campaign last year. His counting stats didn't jump off the page, but his impact did. By the third game of the season, the No. 28 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft earned his first NBA start. Now, he'll be looking to continue his development in his second trip to Vegas.

"Obviously, it’s different," Gonzalez said of this year's Summer League versus last year. "Now I got like about 1000 minutes in the NBA- I don’t know what it is. Before when I came here last year, I hadn’t played a lot in Real Madrid, and I was really nervous because [it was] the first time playing off Real Madrid. Now, it's different. I'm already used to it. I already know that a lot of people here, and the ones [I don’t know], they're really great too. So just looking forward to it.”

That's what Jefferson wants, too. All eyes will be on Gonzalez for the next two weeks (or for however many games he appears in). He's the unquestioned leader of this Celtics Summer League squad. But in Jefferson's eyes, it's not about Gonzalez adjusting to Summer League. It's about him continuing to do what he does best.

“For me, for Hugo just to be Hugo," Jefferson said. "He does so many really good things on the court, and now, we're just going to ask him to be even more [vocal] and to lead us. I think it's a really cool thing for him to be playing with the [Spanish] national team. Now coming here to a group that is really going to look to him for leadership and for him to just take ownership of the team. Make plays, play hard, pressure the ball, and embody what it means to be a Celtics player.”

Gonzalez isn't the only player of intrigue in Vegas for the Celtics. Rookies Chris Cenac and Dillon Mitchell will be suiting up, as will Amari Williams, who will be back in Boston on a two-way contract next season. Guys like Milos Uzan and Tucker DeVries are also worth watching, as both are on Exhibit 10 deals with Boston.

Cenac has stood out during his time in Boston so far. But not just for his on-court play -- though Jefferson did mention that, too. No, there has been one very specific thing that has stood out to Jefferson the most.

"His hands. Dude's got big hands, man," Jefferson said. "And he's just mobile, live-bodied, willing to do whatever you ask him. I love how active he is, and if you're around him just for 30 minutes on the basketball court, he's just oozing with talent. So, I'm excited to see his growth. I've already seen it in the week and a half, two weeks he's been here. And his personality is great. We have high-character guys, and I don't think that's by mistake, but Chris fits that mold, and I think he's going to be a really good player.”

At the end of the day, most of the players who suit up at Summer League won't ever wear Celtics green again. They'll move on to other stops of their basketball careers -- some at higher levels than others -- having logged minimal minutes for the Celtics in Vegas.

But for those who do end up making it to Boston, and perhaps even those who don't, the skills will carry over. Everything Jefferson and his staff preach, teach, and drill into their players' minds will be directly translatable to what they will have to do in Boston.

"I know that what I'm asking for you to do in Summer League is going to be the same thing we're asking for you to do with the Boston Celtics," Jefferson said. "Whether that be pressure the ball, whether that be protect the rim, whether that be screening. The things we're going to ask you to do here at Summer League are going to directly correlate and translate to what you're going to do for the Boston Celtics. So, especially for our guys, it's just about being yourself and doing it at a high level.”