For months, Sam Hauser’s departure was penciled in right alongside Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday. But now that Boston has squirmed out of the second apron’s grip, those pencil marks can be erased, and Hauser can be seen for what he is: a bargain.
The logic behind Hauser’s inclusion in trade rumors was sound. He makes the perfect amount of money to give Boston significant cap relief, while being the type of player every team needs. What’s gotten lost in the discussion is just how much — especially right now — the Celtics could use Hauser’s skill set.
The value placed on shooting has never been higher, but it can’t be all that you do. Hauser may not swing a game with his defense, but he can hold his own.
Teetering on the edge of being a positive defender may not sound like much, and for some, it wouldn’t be enough. But Hauser isn’t just a typical shooter. Among players with at least 300 attempts, his 41.6% from three ranked 13th in the NBA — and he finished 7th and 9th the two years before that.
He’s firmly in the upper tier of off-ball shooting threats. And when you pair that with defense that is, for lack of a better word, solid — that’s a player who lifts just about any lineup.
Hauser became a core member of Jayson Tatum & the bench lineups that went on runs and extended leads frequently. Hauser’s inclusion in those units was no coincidence, and while star players make life easier for any shooter, his impact was not tied to others as closely as some might expect.
In 700 minutes with Hauser on the court and Tatum on the bench, the Celtics had a 7.82 net rating. Even with both Tatum and Jaylen Brown off the floor, the Celtics posted a 9.14 net rating.The collective strength of the team helped, but Hauser deserves credit for his own contribution to elevating lineups.
When the scouting report says to limit easy looks, and close out as fast as you can, the floor opens up for everyone else.
It’s no surprise that Hauser sees some of the fastest closeouts in the NBA. He’s usually working hard to find pockets of space in very small windows. Even still, he’s managed to be in the 99th percentile of 3P rate, with a 3P% in the 90th percentile or better most years.
The flip side is that his limited off-the-dribble game makes his intentions more predictable when he catches beyond the arc. Defenders know what’s coming, and they don’t hesitate to run him off the line.
He’s always been a willing ball mover, but the biggest growth area is off the bounce. When he has attacked closeouts, the results are encouraging. Expanding that part of his game could only make him harder to guard. If he’s even slightly less predictable, the closeouts can’t be as certain, and he’ll have a fraction of a second longer. For a marksman of his caliber, a few milliseconds would feel like minutes.
With all of the change this offseason brought, there are going to be an unbelievable amount of touches and opportunity up for grabs. Hauser can take advantage of this, and focus on skill development.
He’s one of the few core rotation players remaining from the championship run. He’s earned the coaching staff’s trust, and has shown in the past he can handle a larger role. With no starting lineup fully locked in, one of those spots might even be his.
The Celtics may not have always planned to keep Hauser around — but they’re better for it.
