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Former NBA player-turned-analyst Eddie House of NBC Sports Boston interviewed Sam Hauser during a Boston Celtics shootaround. During the interview, House asked Hauser which NBA players were his main influences as a sharpshooter, to which Hauser listed two names.
“I would say probably Kyle Korver was one of them, and Klay Thompson for sure,” Hauser said. “It’s just the way they fly off screens and can make really difficult shots look so easy.”
Thompson has earned an unflinching reputation for being one of the NBA’s best sharpshooters over the last decade during his time with the Golden State Warriors. Thompson is a career 41.6 percent three-point shooter over the regular season while being a 41 percent three-point shooter in the postseason.
Thompson’s abilities to space the floor has played a role in helping the Warriors win four championships since 2015. Hauser may never develop that same reputation, but he has put himself on the map as a sharpshooter with his expanded role this season.
Not only has Hauser been a consistently featured rotation player this season, but he has established himself as a reliable sharpshooter for the Celtics, shooting 46.2 percent from three. which is third-highest on the team behind Malcolm Brogdon (49.4 percent) and Al Horford (46.6 percent).
Hauser Explains Why He Has Celtics’ Trust
Hauser explained why he has garnered trust from both his Celtics’ teammates and the Celtics’ coaching staff.
“Playing my role, making my shots when they pass it to me. I think it definitely earns some trust. Especially Joe, I mean, I feel like having trust from him is the biggest thing,” Hauser said.
Hauser later explained that Joe Mazzulla’s trust in him started during the 2021 Summer League, where Mazzulla was the squad’s head coach.
“My first summer league with the Celtics, he was the coach, so I think it started then. He knew what I could do. I showed what I could do in summer league, and I think from then on, I put the work in, and he’s seen that. Now that he’s at the front of the helm there, he knows what I can do, and he trusts that,” Hauser said.
Hauser’s worked his way up steadily with the Celtics. He signed with the team on a two-way contract in 2021, then had his contract converted to a standard contract mid-season, then was given a three-year contract this past summer.
Eddie House Calls Blake Griffin a ‘Luxury’
After the Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors on December 5, House explained why he sees Blake Griffin as a luxury.
“It’s great to have guys like that that you can lean on. This is a luxury for coach Joe Mazzulla. To have a guy like that that you can not play for six, seven games straight and then throw him into the starting lineup, and he gives you a performance like this,” House said.
House then praised Griffin’s professional approach to his role with the Celtics.
“It’s a lot of the games where he did not play (due to) coach’s decision. It’s tough to have the mindset to stay ready. To come out and play like how he played, that speaks to his professionalism. The way that he’s team-first oriented that he’s staying ready.”
.@EddieHouse_50 talked about the luxury it is to have Blake Griffin on the Celtics 👏
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Sam Hauser Cites Celtics Rival, NBA Champion As Inspiration