Getty Sam Hauser, Boston Celtics
To begin the season, the Boston Celtics looked unstoppable from the perimeter, and sophomore forward Sam Hauser was a significant part of their success.
However, throughout the month of December, Hauser’s shooting seriously cooled off, and suddenly, his role within the rotation looks to be under threat. According to CelticsBlog’s Daniel Poarch, Hauser needs to snap out of his slump sooner rather than later if he’s going to continue earning consistent minutes within Joe Mazzulla’s rotation.
In the month of December, Hauser attempted 53 threes, making 15 of them. That’s a 28.3% conversion rate.
Tough stretch, but it happens.
“Three-point shooting is his pre-eminent NBA skill, and while he’s not useless in other aspects of the game, it’s his ability to break defenses from long range that puts him on the court. The Celtics need him knocking down those threes to maximize his usefulness on the court; this 28% shooting version of him is quite a bit harder to justify…There’s no reason to think his poor December was anything more than a cold spell. It’s up to Hauser to find the reset button and start off 2023 on a better note than he finished its predecessor,” Poarch wrote.
Hauser, 25, has participated in 36 games for Boston so far this season, converting his three-point attempts at an impressive 40.9% clip, however, should his slump continue through the month of January, he may find himself glued to the bench for the second half of the season.
Sam Hauser Explained Shooting Struggles
During a December 19 interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg, Hauser shed some light on some of the factors that are affecting his shooting success, noting that defenses are playing him a lot tighter than they were to begin the season.
This is a great read from @ChrisForsberg_ discussing Hauser’s current shooting slump.
FWIW, over the last 10 games, Hauser is hitting just 24.3% from 3, on 3.7 attempts per game.
“Teams are guarding me a little bit different with the hot start to the year. But I just stick with my routine, trust it, knowing that I’m still a good shooter even though I’m missing. And the best part is the shot still feels good coming off my hand. That’s always encouraging…Overall, my confidence is pretty good in my shot. I know that I’m a good shooter and I’m going to keep letting it fly. And they’re going to fall. It’s law of averages,” Hauser said.
Boston is currently ranked 7th in the NBA for their three-point conversion rate, yet, despite their ability to light teams up from deep, Hauser’s role is seen as an integral one for the Celtics’ spacing.
Sam Hauser Feels Comfortable on an NBA Court
During pre-season, Hauser spoke with the media to discuss a potential new role within the rotation and noted that he felt prepared for the challenge due to growing increasingly comfortable on an NBA court.
Sam Hauser talks about how much more comfortable he is in his second NBA season
“I think honestly, it’s just getting a better feel for the NBA style of game. Last year, everything felt like it was moving at a thousand miles an hour, now I feel like everything is slowing down a little bit. I’m getting a better understanding of playing with these guys, where I’m supposed to be and when I’m supposed to be there – just things like that,” Hauser said following a Celtics practice session on October 11.