Sam Hauser Could Have Surprising Impact On Celtics’ Early Success

If the Celtics’ busy offseason — where they added two All-Star talents and shipped off a franchise icon — guaranteed anything, it’s that Sam Hauser’s role is going to expand.

We know… just bear with us.

In the grand scheme of things, Hauser’s biggest contributions to the C’s aren’t going to be all that big because they’ll come during the regular season. The Celtics likely won’t care about what happens during that 82-game stretch, beyond securing a top-four spot in the postseason. In a sense, the regular season will be used as a way for Boston to gauge what lineups, rotations and offensive and defensive sets they’ll be using.

They’re not going to care too much about the record, which is probably why they’re fine with Hauser being the eighth man this season.

It’s up to the 25-year-old to decide whether that’s a good thing or not, however.

It’s a pretty drastic role change for the Virginia product, who is expected to see a career-high in minutes this season. He’s also expected to be the target of opposing offenses, which was the case when he was on the floor last year.

“I think the first half of the year I struggled, and then the back half of the year I got a lot better,” Hauser said, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “So over the summer, just repping it out, working on positioning and footwork and all that stuff. (Offenses are) going to continue to (challenge me), I’m sure, so I’m ready for it.”

Hauser is no slouch on that end, however. We know the 6-foot-8 forward for his ability to shoot the ball, knocking down 42% of his shots from beyond the arc, but he’s a solid defender as well. The Celtics’ defense was actually 4.6 points per 100 possessions better with Hauser on the floor in 2022-23 than when he was off.

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Boston would benefit from opponents breaking from the mold, attacking Hauser on the defensive end instead of running their normal offense. His ability to hold up was huge throughout his first full season with the Celtics, and will be again this season.

The increased playing time during the regular season could also be big for Hauser’s hopes at contributing come playoff time. It’s no secret that NBA rotations shrivel when the playoffs roll around, but there’s always minutes available for a sharpshooter on the wing. If that shooter can also play respectable defense, he just might become a regular contributor.

The stakes are relatively low for the Celtics throughout the early months of the season, but they won’t be for Hauser.