BOSTON — The Celtics could be without Sam Hauser and Josh Minott ahead of Friday’s game against the Miami Heat. Hauser is still recovering from a left ankle sprain he suffered in Monday night’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, but is listed as probable to play.
Minott, meanwhile, is also on the injury report, listed as probable with low back spasms.
Jayson Tatum remains out as he continues to recover from an Achilles rupture suffered last May.
For Hauser, this sprain is not the ankle that caused him to miss the majority of the Celtics’ series against the New York Knicks last May — that was his right ankle. But the veteran sharpshooter has dealt with several ankle sprains throughout his Celtics tenure.
Hauser is in the midst of a down year with the Celtics; he’s shooting a career-low 34% from three (and 34.3% from the field) in 21.6 minutes per game, while averaging 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.
On Monday, in Hauser’s absence — and coming off of three days of rest — Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard all played increased minutes, while Baylor Scheierman (15 minutes) and Hugo Gonzalez (16 minutes) both shouldered a heavier load off the bench than they have on a typical night.
“Not having Sam — his ability to execute and really play from an offensive standpoint, getting us defensively,” Joe Mazzula said on Monday. “But, we talked about before the game — that’s just part of the depth that we have. The next guy’s got to play.”
The Celtics have seen remarkable health this season
Compared to other teams in the NBA, the Celtics have faced very few injury woes throughout the first few months of the NBA season. Neemias Queta missed two games with an ankle injury, Derrick White missed one game with a calf contusion, and Jaylen Brown missed one game with illness. Outside of that, the rotation has been mostly unscathed.
Hauser has been readily available throughout his five-year Celtics tenure; he played in 80 of 82 games in the 2022-23 season, in 79 games of the Celtics’ championship season, and in 71 games last year, while dealing with a back injury that hampered him earlier in the season.
Josh Minott, who has averaged 7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 19 minutes per game, while shooting a career-high 44.3% from three, has also yet to miss a game for the Celtics.
The Celtics (15-11) will host the Miami Heat (14-12) at 7pm on Friday night at TD Garden.
