Boston Celtics guard Derrick White went through his own pivotal second-year leap during the beginning of his career with the San Antonio Spurs.
And from the way he spoke following practice Tuesday, White probably wouldn’t be surprised if one of his teammates on the Celtics followed a similar path this season.
White bestowed high praise on second-year forward Sam Hauser, who has emerged as a Celtics breakout candidate for the upcoming campaign due to his immense shooting ability.
“Obviously, he can shoot it. It’s crazy,” White told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “One of the best shooters I’ve seen.”
Hauser’s marksmanship from deep in Boston’s preseason-opening win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday at TD Garden only fueled the notion that he could make a much larger impact on the Celtics than he did as a rookie. Hauser connected on four out of his five attempts from 3-point range and in 19 minutes off the bench he finished with 14 points — the third-most on the team trailing only stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
In limited playing time last season, the 24-year-old Virginia product showcased his smooth shooting stroke from deep by knocking down 43.2% of his 3-point shots. The Celtics should look to tap into that potential this season as Hauser could take on more of a role due to the absence of Danilo Gallinari, who tore his ACL in the offseason.
While it is Hauser’s shooting that will earn him playing time, White has seen growth in other areas of the inexperienced forward’s game.
“He does a lot of other things,” White said. “He’s bigger (6-foot-8) than you think he is. He’s working on crashing the glass and creating a little bit there. From that first year to second year you see a lot of big jumps, so it’s good to see that from Sam.”
