With April right around the corner, the NBA regular season is coming to a close, which means the playoffs will begin in no time. For the Boston Celtics, it could've been a season that saw the team in the lottery. Instead, the Celtics have remained a top team in the Eastern Conference, currently holding the second seed with a record of 48-24 as of Friday morning.
Entering the playoffs, Boston should be a favorite to win the Eastern Conference. More so now with the return of Jayson Tatum. While Celtic fans should be excited for the playoffs, head coach Joe Mazzulla will require all hands on deck to bring another title to Beantown, meaning Boston will need more from forward Sam Hauser down the stretch.
Sam Hauser Must Turn Things Around After a Pitiful March
The month of March has not been kind to Hauser, to say the least.
Through 13 games so far, Hauser's shooting hasn't been good, as he's shot 34.3% from the field and 31.8% from three. The 7.4 points per game he's averaging is the worst for any month that isn't November (5.1 PPG), and that's without mentioning how his minutes have dropped in back-to-back months.
- January: 28.5 minutes per game
- February: 27.4 minutes per game
- March: 25.4 minutes per game
Before the All-Star break, Hauser was averaging 9.1 points on 40.9% from the field and 39.2 from three. In the 18 games post the All-Star break, Hauser's numbers have dropped to 8.5 points on 38.5% from the field and 35% from three. Looking at the raw numbers might show a small decrease in play, but during the playoffs, the margins of victory shrink compared to the regular season.
Playoff games can be decided by these small changes, and given Hauser's role with the team, the Celtics need him to bounce back. The former Virginia Cavalier is a valuable supporting member when he's on his game, and that's what Boston needs from him in the final stretch and into the playoffs.
One story for the Celtics this season has been the play of some of the younger forwards, like rookie Hugo Gonzalez and second-year forward Baylor Scheierman, but they are still unproven in the playoffs. Having Hauser as a reliable veteran will help alleviate some of the pressure the younger guys may have.
If Hauser's play doesn't improve soon, the Celtics could run into some trouble come playoff time. There's a smaller margin for error the further we get into the 2025-26 campaign, and the last thing that Mazzulla needs is for No. 30 to be a headache when the postseason begins.