Ime Udoka Gushed About Sam Hauser Before Celtics Rookie’s Career Night

When the Celtics released their injury report ahead of Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, many suggested the team was resting some of its starters in order to throw the game and better their chances of avoiding a potential first-round playoff matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

Boston head coach Ime Udoka put down that rumor ahead of the game, and it didn’t matter in the end, because the shorthanded Celtics took a loaded Bucks team to the final minutes in an eventual loss.

Behind a starting lineup of Daniel Theis, Derrick White and Grant Williams alongside Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, Sam Hauser starred off the bench.

Hauser, who finished with a career-high 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting (3-for-4 from deep) picked quite the game to go off. The 24-year-old is a native of Wisconsin (Green Bay) and began his collegiate career at Marquette. Maybe it was home court advantage, or perhaps he was just fulfilling the prophecy set out by Udoka before the game.

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“First and foremost, his shooting stands out. Elite shooter,” Udoka said before the game, as transcribed by Bobby Manning of CLNS Media. “He’s been that since I saw him, had him in the building and obviously with the G-League team he’s been doing that, but he’s a very cerebral player across the board. He’s fit in well in games that he’s played early in the season when guys were injured, we plugged him right in and he didn’t really miss a beat as far as defensively and some of the things we were looking for.

“So always in the right spot, great team defender and knows how to use himself, his angles and cerebral guy, like I said, not just offensively but defensively as well. So he’s a guy that we’re comfortable putting in with starters and other guys any time of the game. The shooting’s always there, but it’s more than that. He’s a well-rounded player.”

Hauser’s previous career high came on March 28 against the Toronto Raptors, when he finished with 10 points.