If you know anything about the Boston Celtics’ Sam Hauser, you know what this article will be about.
This will be a lot of shooting film, and I’m not talking about Abraham Zapruder. Though, if Hauser were standing on the grassy knoll, he would have been quite accurate.
Shooting was *the* sell on Hauser coming out of college after four years at Marquette and Virginia. He still managed a modest split of three-point attempts vs. twos, roughly 60-40. Since joining Boston, they have boiled down his offensive game to a level of pure three-point shooting rarely seen, even in today’s NBA.
Hauser’s .882 three-point rate is a top-five mark we have EVER seen in the league, only eclipsed by Duncan Robinson and Dāvis Bertāns among players to reach similar minutes per game thresholds. In short, nearly 90% of Hauser’s total field goal attempts come from beyond the arc. This hyperspecialization has become an important cog of Boston’s offense, a team uniquely able to showcase his strengths and mask his weaknesses with a blend of drivers and dunker spot threats on offense with plenty of capable perimeter stoppers and rim protectors on the defensive end.
Without further ado, let’s dive into what makes Hauser tick.
Shooting, Shooting, Shooting.
In this case, I will skip the “offensive overview” section because he’s so specialized. Take a look at his shot chart if you need further evidence.
Marvel at the beauty of it. Bask in the glory that is Sam Hauser’s shot profile. Whether you are hooper-pilled or an analytics-monger, you can appreciate this level of dedication to a craft.
Hauser is hitting over 43% of his looks from deep for the second time in three NBA seasons. His career “worst” mark so far comes in at 41.8%. Putting that into context: Klay Thompson, widely considered one of the top shooters in league history, has three total seasons eclipsing that mark in 11 seasons. And you could argue that they form similar shot profiles in terms of movement and pulling from well beyond the arc. Hauser is already putting himself in rarified air.
But this isn’t just about results. If you have read ANY of my work, you know that process is 90% of the battle to me. HOW you get the shots speaks much more to an overall skillset than the amount that goes in. Scaling up in difficulty and versatility of the shot while continuing to produce results is how you put yourself in the elite stratosphere of three-point threats.
So we will work from the basics (catch-and-shoot, relocations) to the complex (movement/off-the-dribble shooting) and, finally, the schematic (plays run to get him a variety of looks) to understand how Sam Hauser has entered this elite conversation.
Meat and Potatoes Shooting
88% of Hauser’s total shots are of the catch-and-shoot variety, and he sits at 43.4% on those looks. Unlike many off-ball shooters, Hauser boasts deep range and the ability to move around to open up more looks. He can comfortably go out to 30 feet if needed with a swift trigger.
When open and stationary, Hauser is lethal. What impresses me about his game is the sense of when and where to relocate to take advantage of the defense and create better passing angles for his teammates.
There’s the simple stuff, like moving spots in the corner:
Hauser is also adept at lifting from the corners, a good way to take advantage of a tilting defense.
Sam also knows when to run the reverse, relocating from the break to the corner when the ballhandler has gotten paint penetration.
In short, Hauser has mastered all of the tools to be a strong catch-and-shoot guy. Be in the spots you need to be, release quickly, and hit the shots. But it’s what he does beyond this that moves me.
Movement Maestro
Many of the relocation shots above could be classified as movement shooting, depending on your view of the skill. Hauser shows the ability for much more than what you’ve seen already.
Right-handed shooters are often better going to their left; the momentum transfer is easier and squaring yourself to the basket comes more naturally. It’s no surprise that a shooter of Hauser’s stature is quite good at this.
That brief moment of alignment is all Sam needs to get a balanced shot, despite his entire momentum going left. It’s incredibly impressive and often taken for granted.
Another key piece in his arsenal is the upper body alignment regardless of his shooting base. When given time and room, Hauser’s shot base is on the wider side. But if the situation calls for it, Hauser can narrow his base and count on his upper body coordination and strength to get proper alignment for the shot.
Squaring yourself to the basket while going right can often be more difficult. It requires more momentum control to stop the power from getting away from the shooter. Hauser has conquered this shot, largely due to his quick release. He can afford the brief slow-down needed to control this momentum with the speed of his release. An extra dribble in these cases adds an extra layer of control necessary, a tool often used by the aforementioned Klay Thompson.
There is another piece of movement shooting often overlooked: forward momentum shots. Essentially, can you balance yourself enough while sprinting forward into the shot? The answer with Hauser is unequivocally yes.
Once again you can see how Sam can turn a ton of momentum into balance with a brief moment of alignment. He stops the sprint, aligns his lower and upper body (again with a narrow base), and initiates the momentum transfer to hit a DEEP three.
Going left, right, forward, it doesn’t matter for Sam. He’s going to make it work. This is a huge reason why the playbook of Joe Mazzulla can be opened up for him.
Schematic Usage
Again, we will work from the simple to the more complex here.
Hauser’s size makes him an effective screener, even if not a roll threat. It can open up a variety of pick and pops or pick and fades with the right ballhandler.
It works especially well with a handler like Tatum on the ball. Teams will often double or at least show at the level of the screen to deny him getting downhill, allowing Hauser to pop or fade behind the screen into open space before the help can recover.
Boston is creative in how to further leverage this skill with Hauser in the middle of the action. Below, you’ll see a similar setup with an extra wrinkle:
With Hauser setting a screen for a less dangerous ballhandler in Payton Pritchard, he cannot rely on the extra help sent to create space. Instead, Boston utilizes a flare screen for Hauser, the initial screener, to further confuse the help PNR defender and create a chance for an open look. The rookie Ben Sheppard is tasked with chasing Hauser after the initial screen, and Obi Toppin has more than enough athleticism to rise to the level of the screen for a contest. Still, Hauser’s movement talent and quick release make this shot possible to execute on a well-drawn play.
Boston has other ways for Hauser to involve himself in ball-screen actions in the bag as well.
This is another way to leverage the extra attention that Jayson Tatum commands. Joel Embiid rises to the screen with Tobias Harris chasing, effectively ignoring Al Horford as a roll/pop threat. Instead of becoming a scoring threat, Horford sets a curl screen behind the play for Hauser with only Robert Covington there to defend two players. Even though he misses the shot, this is a quality look to leverage Hauser’s movement skills.
Hauser can also have looks run specifically for him off the ball, without any on-ball screening necessary. Simple pin-down screens going to his right leverage his unique momentum control.
Then there is my favorite look Boston has used: the ghost screen in Spain PNR actions.
Setting up initially as the backscreener to sell the action, Hauser pops out to the perimeter for a three-point look on both occasions. His skillset is such that he can quickly hit an open look if it’s generated or dribble into a reload if being closed out as he does in the first clip. That’s a really fun way to get him going and use the complacency of the defense against them. Make them expect one thing, then do another. Extremely hard to defend.
Lastly, Hauser makes for a strong weapon on sideline or baseline out-of-bounds plays with his reliable movement shooting.
The staggered screens getting Hauser going to his left are a dangerous weapon. The angle for Santi Aldama to chase him is very narrow and brutal to get around, but if Memphis tries to switch it opens up a slip for Al Horford or an open perimeter shot, which he pops out of the screen to create, or even a DHO look with Payton Pritchard who sets the initial screen. Layers upon layers of danger for the defense if the first look isn’t clean, which it is in this case.
So, Hauser is a dangerous shooter in all manners off the ball. A variety of angles and plays can open him up in addition to being knockdown when spacing flat-footed from the corners and wings. This leads us to an important question…
Well, What Else Does He Do?
Well, here’s where the trouble starts.
If Hauser is being run off the line, there’s not much else he does offensively. Take for example these pin-down screens where the defense opens up a chance to get downhill:
The first clip is rough; missing the opportunity to pass to the corner shooter as Jarace Walker locks on to the layup like a homing missile shows poor process. The second one is good, but there is a lot of window dressing that goes into this look, with dual-sided actions needed to keep the defense distracted. It’s not going to be every possession that Hauser is defended by someone like Buddy Hield who does not have the size or speed to contain him properly.
Getting blocked on his twos is a major issue. Hauser has taken 11 shots at or near the rim that weren’t putback attempts; five of those have been blocked.
This is a product of two skill issues: lack of finishing craft and awareness of the defense. Driving directly into a player like Andre Drummond without changing speeds or using a fake is bound for failure. Running out in transition and telegraphing the finish begs for a trailing defender like De’Anthony Melton to reject the shot.
There are also some evident handle and control issues once he puts the ball on the deck.
That’s what those of us in the business call an “oopsie”.
Hauser’s size would theoretically make him a post-up threat on smaller matchups. But the previous issue of telegraphing his movements led to many strips.
Danilo Gallinari is a lot of things defensively. He’s still a veteran who will see a chance to knock the ball loose and capitalize on those chances. Hauser is simply not good enough with his gathers, footwork, or finishing skill to be a threat there at the moment.
This isn’t to say that Hauser is useless offensively unless shooting from the perimeter. The offensive rebounding numbers aren’t jumping off the page by any means (41st percentile amongst forwards) but his perimeter-oriented role means he has to pick his spots to crash. He often capitalizes on those spots.
Hauser is possessed of a good sense of where the ball is going off the rim. It’s not Last Dance Dennis Rodman level, but it’s something that adds further offensive utility. There are also moments where Hauser puts it all together for some strong putbacks.
I also have an appreciation for how Sam makes quick swings. A perimeter-oriented offense like Boston needs players who can identify chances to swing for a better shot by a teammate.
There are some flashes of intermediate playmaking as well, though nobody is going to confuse Hauser for a true initiator (or even connector) anytime soon.
It’s simple, but driving toward the middle will tell any ballhandler that the corner behind the drive is going to be open. Hauser knows this and can execute. It’s not much, but worth noting that he can grasp the simple playmaking concepts and deliver the necessary passes.
He’s also good at using the driving and passing to open up his relocation looks, a la Wardell Stephen Curry:
That’s no easy look either. A cheeky off-balanced bounce through multiple defenders is a heck of a read for Hauser, and he is rewarded with an open shot for his efforts.
The vast majority of Hauser’s offensive value comes from the shooting. Duh. But a splash of glass crashing here and a tiny pinch of decisive playmaking can go a long way to add value beyond his spacing skillset.
So, how does the defensive side of the floor hold up?
Lack of Perimeter Stopping
There are two forms of perimeter guarding: 1v1 and screen-based defending. Hauser is not particularly good at either on the whole. Boston is comfortable switching as a team, but Sam is not as comfortable as an individual.
Quicker guards or wings are going to give him problems. Matched up on slower wings, where he often starts a possession, tells a different story.
Hauser is also adept at using his size and verticality to his advantage when ceding ground on the drive, which is inevitable in his case.
If Hauser can manage to turn those clean blow-bys we saw in the first section into these kinds of possessions, it goes a long way toward translating his game to the defensive end and increasing his minutes. Deterring clean rim looks is the most you can ask of a guy with his lateral speed and vertical athleticism, or lack thereof.
The screen-based defending is a bit uglier on the whole. The lateral speed questions here cannot be overcome with size or length, and Hauser can be picked on in these actions.
Sam is a bit better when it comes to defending the perimeter as a defender playing on high pick-and-rolls, but it’s still a very mixed bag.
A lot of the issues in this second clip come from overhelping: not only does this make it an easier read for Cole Anthony, but it gives Paolo Banchero (who relentlessly wants to get downhill) a longer runway. Guys like Paolo are impossible to stop once their momentum has been built like this.
Yet there are still many other issues to work through.
Off Ball Defense
There are QUITE a lot of instances where Hauser got lost switching. I tried to distill it to the simplest examples of how his processing and attention cost his team.
If Hauser is going to be the kind of defender who needs to be hidden on lesser assignments off the ball, blowing switches is going to hurt a lot. It’s no shame to be unable to contend with primary or secondary options. But you need to control what is given to you, or else the upside is limited.
The rotational defense is a bit more positive but still yields mixed results. There is some good, to be sure:
Though Hauser is pretty good at making his presence felt around the rim, the help he offers from the nail or off the perimeter leaves much to be desired.
To put a bow on the off-ball game, Hauser could stand to be a little more active on the glass. Considering where he is usually stationed on both ends, his defensive rebounding numbers should be better than his offensive. The 41st percentile offensive rebounding is not bad, but the 34th percentile defensive rebounding needs to be better, especially when his man is not a threat for second-chance points out on the perimeter. A slight uptick in this area would make Hauser’s defense a lot more palatable.
Alas, the final question: where do we go from here?
Future Outlook
As one of the best shooters in the league, Hauser will find his way on the floor no matter what team he plays for. The dynamic ways he can get his shot going off the ball come in handy regardless of system or personnel. That kind of skill gives him a role for years to come.
It’s the everything else that gives me pause. Offering little as a driver, roller, or passer severely handicaps his offensive utility. Though he can help in the aggregate on the offensive glass, more can be done there. I have serious questions about what further skills Hauser can develop on that end. It’s also a bit of a conundrum for coaches: if he can be effective while taking 90% of his shots from deep, do I even want to give him other looks? Can we afford to go away from his primary skills?
The defense is also a cause for concern. As I said before, not being the guy who handles tough assignments is fine. Still, the missed switching and inconsistent rotational defense to go with underwhelming rebounding numbers is a tough swallow. He won’t be a star in his role on that end anytime soon. But showing positive moves toward being average would go a long way toward increasing his impact on this contending Boston squad, and future teams.
I remain bullish on Hauser’s future because of the exemplary shooting. But to graduate from a highly specialized bench piece to something more, there is a lot to work on.
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