Getty Sam Hauser has been impressing Celtics fans lately with his three-point shooting.
When Danilo Gallinari suffered what is expected to be a season-ending ACL tear, many were shocked to know that the Boston Celtics had pegged Sam Hauser as Gallinari’s replacement instead of a bigger-name veteran available on the market like Carmelo Anthony. However, it has not taken long for Hauser to win over fans.
Hauser is shooting lights out from three in the Celtics’ two preseason games thus far. Combining his shooting from their game against the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors, Hauser has shot nine-for-13 from three, good for 69.2 percent from three.
Malcolm Brogdon with the dime to Sam Hauser for three 🎯
Hauser is 3-of-4 from DEEP in the first half
It’s fair to say that fans have taken notice of what Hauser has been able to do. Especially since he’s thriving where previous Celtics have failed.
Sam Hauser is currently doing what I would pray Aaron Nesmith would one day do
Celtics reporters like Bobby Krivitsky of Sports Illustrated lauded the team for vocalizing their confidence in Hauser when many thought his lack of experience made that a questionable decision. It was clear to them that the Celtics weren’t bluffing when they said they believed in his abilities.
The Celtics were not bluffing when they expressed confidence in Sam Hauser’s ability to contribute this season. They’ll miss Gallinari, but along with Grant Williams, it’s nice to have another shooter with size off the bench.
Hauser has played so well that other Celtics reporters wondered why Hauser wasn’t playing against the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.
By the time this preseason is over, we might just be wondering why Sam Hauser wasn’t playing in the NBA Finals.
To put things into more perspective on how good Hauser has been, Ryan Bernardoni tweeted out a statistic demonstrating how hot his three-point shooting is – this was before Hauser would miss his next two threes.
Through seven quarters of preseason basketball Sam Hauser is 9-11 from 3PT. Celtics opponents are 8-56 from 3PT.
Tatum Endorses Hauser as Shooter
Before the Celtics took on the Raptors, Taylor Snow of Celtics.com released a video of the Celtics’ practice and, more specifically, Tatum’s sincere thoughts on what he thinks of Hauser’s abilities as a shooter.
“He can shoot,” Tatum said while being filmed. “Yo Sam, you can shoot, bro! Real well.”
Sam Hauser getting that JT endorsement 👌
After Hauser’s performance against the Raptors, Hauser said that he watched the video. He added that he and Tatum disagree on who the better shooter is.
“I saw the clip. He claimed he’s a better shooter than me, but I don’t think that’s true. We’ll see.”
Sam Hauser on the clip of Jayson Tatum saying he could shoot that thang: “I saw the clip. He claimed he’s a better shooter than me, but I don’t think that’s true. We’ll see.”
While Tatum said, “hell no” when asked if he believes Hauser’s a better shooter than him, he stressed that the Celtics will need his shooting this season.
“Sam is obviously a great shooter, and his game has come a long way. I’m happy for him. We’re going to need him.”
Jayson Tatum on if Sam Hauser is a better shooter than him: “Hell no. … Sam is obviously a great shooter and his game has come a long way. I’m happy for him. We’re going to need him.”
Hauser Praises Atmosphere at TD Garden
After the game, Hauser was asked what it was like to hear Celtics fans hyping him up as he let his three-pointers fly during their game against the Raptors. Hauser made it clear how much he appreciated it while also relaying that he can’t wait to do that when it counts.
“It’s cool. I didn’t get to play much last year and experience the atmosphere on the floor. It’s been pretty cool these last couple of games to take it all in. I can’t wait for the crowd in the regular season.”
Hauser then detailed how much making his first three-pointer boosts his confidence when he’s on the floor.
“When you come off the bench, and you’re able to make your first one, your confidence shoots up. It’s not an easy thing to do to come in cold and try to make shots, but that’s what I’m asked to do so I’m just trying to do that to the best I can.”
“I can’t wait for the crowd in the regular season.”
Sam Hauser talks about experiencing the atmosphere at TD Garden ☘️
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