The Boston Celtics' impressive start to the NBA season continued on Tuesday night, as they won 123-101 in the highly anticipated matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. In a game where all the focus was on Jaylen Brown playing his first game against the Celtics, it was a revenge game, but for former 76er Paul George instead.
But while he didn't light up the stat sheet, Sam Hauser has continued his strong start to the season, finishing the night with 12 points (4-for-6 from three), 5 rebounds, and 2 assists, and he deserves some recognition, too.
Sam Hauser has been great for the Celtics this season
Coming into the season, one of the more interesting spots on the roster was the Celtics' wings and how they would see the court. Given that his contract was the most expensive and his age, Hauser was always in a weird spot as a potential trade candidate. So far this season, he's easily looked like the best of the bunch.
In the short season, Hauser is averaging 8.1 points (47% from the field and 43% from three), 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. Hauser is also playing only 20.7 minutes per game, his lowest in the past three seasons. While some of that can be chalked up to the Celtics having some blowout wins and Boston getting the end-of-bench guys in earlier, Hauser has still been one of the more consistent players to start the year.
With how he's started the season, Hauser has shown what makes him a valuable contributor to the Celtics' rotation.
Sam Hauser's three-point shooting makes him so value to the Celtics
When talking about what makes Hauser valuable, you have to start with his elite shooting. Ever since entering the NBA, the Wisconsin native has been one of the best shooters and has shot over 40% from three in each season until last season (he finished at 39.3%). As he's played in the NBA, he's also gone from primarily being a spot-up shooter to now being great when coming off of screens and in transition, making him an even bigger threat.
Boston has utilized a lot of screens and off-ball movement on offense this season, and Hauser has benefited a ton from it. Whether it's having an open look coming off a screen or being open due to his guy being forced to help, the 28-year-old has been getting quality looks from deep. His consistency shooting from three has made him valuable to the Celtics' rotation.
Hauser has a knack for playing off his teammates, and he knows how to space the floor and open it up for his teammates. He's the perfect fit for the Celtics' offense and has shown his value to the team so far this season. Some might view his shooting ability as easily replaceable, but it's hard to find an elite shooter like Hauser.
Add us as a preferred source on Google