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BOSTON — Sam Hauser has gotten a bit lost in the shuffle among the many storylines to start the Celtics season. That’s no surprise considering he’s struggled shooting the ball — his best skill — to open the year.
But the proven sharpshooter caught fire against the Heat in the Celtics’ win Friday, knocking down 5-for-6 of his 3-pointers for 15 points. It was a welcome sign after some cold-shooting nights, including an 0-for-10 showing against the Bucks recently. It was also a reminder that, when Hauser is on, it can come in a flash.
So while there are some natural murmurs ahead of February’s trade deadline, Hauser’s re-emergence could be bigger than any trade acquisition. At his best, Hauser is a consistent threat on 3-pointers to put pressure on the opposing defense.
“It’s great to see it go down,” Hauser said. “Always. It’s just kind of the way the year’s been so far, but I’ve started like this before in past seasons. So, I’m pretty confident on getting back to where I know I can get to.”
Hauser entered Friday’s game knocking down just 34.0% of his 3-pointers on the year in 26 games. Over his past four seasons, Hauser shot 42.0% on his 3s, so it’s not like he suddenly forgot how to shoot. Slumps happen, and as he mentioned, there have been stretches of his career where the 3-pointer has abandoned him for stretches.
Even just last season, Hauser’s shot was cold over the opening 1.5 months of the season. Then he shot at least 42.6% from 3 in every month afterwards. So it’s seemingly a matter of when Hauser’s shot will be back at an elite clip, not if.
Fortunately, the Celtics have gotten big contributions at wing elsewhere on the roster in the meantime. Jordan Walsh has emerged as a starter while Josh Minott and Hugo Gonzalez have also shown consistent flashes. Baylor Scheierman has also gotten some playing time, as well, and has produced in a few games.
Hauser has proven he can play at a stellar clip, though his offensive environment is certainly different without Jayson Tatum. Still, the season is only a couple months old, meaning there’s plenty of time for Hauser to climb out of his slump. Friday was a step in that direction as the Celtics will hope their sharpshooter can feed off that momentum.
“I feel like sometimes shot-making is contagious,” Hauser said. “And once you see a couple guys make a couple, then you make a couple. Then it’s like you just feed off each other’s energy. And sometimes you have quarters like that where it’s just an explosion.”