As the 3-pointers have come in droves for Sam Hauser, there’s no extra pep in his step while he’s in the middle of a hot streak. No, making 3s is to be expected, after all.
“It’s kind of my job,” Hauser said after the Celtics’ blowout win over the Raptors. “It’s nothing crazy. Obviously it’s nice to see more go through than miss, so I’m really happy with that. But yeah, it’s my job, so I always have to be ready to make some shots.”
While Hauser shrugs off some of his recent play, the Celtics will take all the production they can get from their sharpshooter. It’s still early in the season, but Hauser has come on strong once the calendar hit November
It was a small slump for Hauser at the beginning of the season, hitting just 3-of-15 of his 3s in three October games. But since then, over the last six games, Hauser is on a tear as he’s knocked down 21-for-38 of his 3-pointers (55.3%). It’s not just that he’s knocking them down, but the volume is also a huge positive for the Celtics as his teammates encourage him to shoot it often.
While he played in 80 games last season, Hauser has gotten even more minutes this season along with a solidified role. And C’s coach Joe Mazzulla has trusted him to produce. That’s resulted in more clarity in his role as he can get comfortable whenever he sees the court.
“You can kind of dig your feet in a little bit you could say,” Hauser said. “And just knowing that your number’s going to get called more often this year than it was last year is pretty cool and you just want to make the most of it and kind of have gratitude with where you’re at.”
The Celtics will gladly take a confident, comfortable Hauser as there are plenty of minutes up for grabs. While the C’s employ arguably the best top-6 in the league, behind them is more of a question mark. That’s where guys like Hauser and Payton Pritchard come in the fold as they’ve contributed early this season.
“Not every night’s going to be great but it’s how you bounce back and respond the next game,” Hauser said. “And I think we both have done that to a good job this year. We haven’t played great every single night but if one of us isn’t playing great, another guy is there to pick them up. So I think you want to be the best version of yourself every day and sometimes that means other things than making shots.
Leave a Reply