While the Boston Celtics are still a few months from taking the court, fans will get their first look at the Summer League Celtics on Friday night. It should include their first glimpse of first-round pick Hugo Gonzalez, a potentially dynamic international man of mystery for Boston.

The Celtics drafted the 19-year-old swingman out of Spain with the 28th overall pick in last month's NBA Draft. It was the highest first-round pick ever made by Brad Stevens, who pumped up Gonzalez's versatility and defensive tenacity after making the selection.

Those traits were evident during the summer C's workouts at the Auerbach Center earlier this week before the team flew out to Vegas for Summer League action, which tips off Friday at 4 p.m. against the Memphis Grizzlies. Third-year forward Jordan Walsh saw Gonzalez's motor firing on all cylinders throughout the sessions, and said he's going to quickly become a fan favorite in Boston.

"He plays hard. Really hard," Walsh said after the team's practice on Wednesday. "Fans are going to love that. He plays hard, he dives on the floor, he's a defensive menace, and he attacks the rim with force."

That's a heck of a scouting report from his new teammate, but there remains a lot of unknown about the 6-foot-7 Gonzalez. He's been playing for Real Madrid at various levels since he was 10, but averaged just 14.2 minutes for them last season en route to a second straight Liga ACB championship.

His highlights show a player who never stops (and rarely slows down) but his stats from last season don't jump off the page; Gonzalez averaged just 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.5 steals per game in league action. He shot 44 percent from the floor, but just 27 percent from three and only 77 percent from the free-throw line.

Gonzalez was viewed as a potential lottery pick during the season. but those underwhelming numbers likely led to the drop in his draft stock. While he wants to continue to be an energizer bunny who wreaks havoc on the defensive end and cuts to the hoop on offense, the teenager is looking to improve his shot during Boston's summer slate.

"I want to catch up with the three-point line and spacing," Gonzalez told reporters on Wednesday. "I want to become a better shooter. So I'm putting my focus on the three-point line, the shot and the pace."

While he's currently focused on getting better during the Summer League, Gonzalez is excited to join a Celtics team with skilled scorers in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and a two-way dynamo like Derrick White. He called Tatum and Brown two of the best players in the league, and said getting to learn from them is a blessing.

And when he does get a chance to take the court with the NBA Celtics, he's looking forward to having a lot of room to operate thanks to the attention Boston's stars command.

"Whenever I have the ball, I'll be more or less open because they're some of the best on-ball creators in the league. I just have to catch-and-shoot it, and that's what I'm trying to do with my balance and everything," Gonzalez explained. "I'm trying to get adapted myself to the Celtics system so I can contribute as soon as possible."

With Tatum likely out all of next season, Gonzalez could be thrust into a big role off the Boston bench as a rookie. The Summer League will be a nice introduction into the NBA game and valuable experience for his development, before Gonzalez joins the team for training camp in September.

It's not easy being a teenager from overseas trying to get acclimated to a new league, a new team, and a new life. But Gonzalez said the Celtics organization has been great helping him get accustomed to his new life. He thanked Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Miles Norris -- veterans of the Summer League -- for getting him ready for the next few weeks.

"I'm grateful for the whole organization. It's difficult being in a new place, and as a foreign player it's even harder," he said. "Everybody here has done a great job with me and I'm grateful for it."