NBA draft night is a chance for teams to find the next batch of young talent. Most of the time, that talent is found somewhere in the first round. Sometimes, helpful players and even a few high-level stars drift down into the second round. And every once in a while, one of those guys slips out of the draft completely.
You don’t find many Fred VanVleets just laying around after the names stop being called, but every team hopes one of the guys they pick up in the post-draft feeding frenzy will be their unexpected hit.
For Boston, that could be Sam Hauser.
Hauser is about to sign a three-year deal to stick with the Celtics after a pretty successful season split between Boston and the G League Maine Celtics. In 13 games, Hauser shot 40.7% on 3-pointers, launching nearly 11 per game. In 26 mostly garbage-time NBA appearances, Hauser shot 43.2% on 19-44 shooting from deep.
For a team that was obviously desperate for more shooting, locking Hauser up on short money for a few years seems to be a worthwhile investment.
“He’s a good shooter, he’s a good person, he’s a hard worker, he’s a pro,” said Celtics assistant and summer league head coach Ben Sullivan. “He puts the work in, he puts the time in, he understands the game, there’s a lot of things that Sam brings to the table.”
At 6-8, Hauser will be the lone remaining backup wing on the team. Aaron Nesmith is now in Indiana trying to rediscover his shooting stroke, leaving Hauser in position to cash in on an opportunity.
“I think it shows they value me and what I do and what I can bring to the table,” Hauser said after the team’s Thursday practice. “I definitely don't take that with a grain of salt. Being on one of the best teams in the league is pretty special and being able to stick here is awesome with one of the most historic franchises in the NBA.”
Being able to stick here is very much a “for now” kind of situation for a player like Hauser until he can prove he’s able to be more than a one-dimensional player. He did average 3.2 assists per game in the G League, but he has to carry that over into the NBA on a more regular basis. He can make teams fear his jumper, but the added element of being able to attack a closeout and make the right play will be what makes him truly dangerous.
“He has good size. Sam can do a lot of different things besides just shoot,” Sullivan said.
Las Vegas will be a bit of a proving ground. Not only will Hauser’s ability to put the ball on the floor and find his teammates be tested, so too will be his ability to create for himself. As of right now, every 3-pointer he has ever made at the NBA and G League level has been assisted. On a summer league team where most of his teammates are auditioning for their own roles on other teams, it will be a challenge to fully display the talents Boston will need from him if he enters Ime Udoka’s circle of trust.
“I think that's the beauty of Summer League,” Hauser said. “You can show more than you might be able to do in the regular season. I think you can showcase your full self and I hope to do that and show what I can bring to the table other than my shooting abilities.”
Hauser will probably take a lot more pull-up jumpers in transition in Vegas, knowing he has to take the shots that present themselves. His offensive growth in both the types of shots he gets and the types of passes he can make will be a critical evaluation point for Udoka and his staff. But the real question Hauser has to answer is whether he can do it all while fitting into Boston’s defensive identity.
“I think first and foremost, it starts on the defensive end,” Hauser said. “We had the No. 1 or 2 defense all year last year so that's obviously a focal point of our team. Being a great team defender and helping wherever I can. Obviously, being able to play off guys like (Jayson Tatum) and (Jaylen Brown) and use my shooting to my advantage and open up the floor for them hopefully. Those are probably the two main things and just keep working and take advantage of my opportunities.”
Defensive drills have been a part of Hauser’s life since day one with the Celtics. If those can be honed to an adequate level, then he has a chance to be the rare contributor whose name was never called on draft night.
He knows it’s an uphill battle.
“Obviously with a new deal I’m going to be here for a couple more years,” he said. “So I just want to prove I belong and hopefully work my way into the rotation somehow, some way, but just going to show what I can do best.”