On Friday night against the Heat, Joe Mazzulla leaned into a special version of small ball with Hugo Gonzalez [ 6'6"] playing center for significant stretches against the likes of Bam Adebayo [6'9"] and Kel’el Ware [7'0"]. The net result was arguably the best game of his career as he posted 10 points and eight rebounds in a career-high 29 minutes, while playing the final 18 minutes of Boston’s 129-116 victory.
“I just thought his energy was great on guarding both Ware and Adebayo,” Mazzulla said of the performance.
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On a night the Celtics lacked defensive energy and rebounding for large stretches, the lineup featuring Gonzalez, Sam Hauser [6'7"] and Anfernee Simons [6'3"] was a revelation, leading them to remain on the floor for all of crunch time...
