Less than an hour ahead of the start of the 2022 NBA free agency period’s start, some more rumbles of the Boston Celtics‘ plans are coming into focus. And while he may not be a central part of the Celtics’ offseason plans, forward Sam Hauser is clearly a part of them with Celtics Blog’s Keith Smith reporting that Boston is declining their $1.6 million team option for the 2022-23 season with Hauser in the hopes of signing him to a longer deal.
The Celtics signed the Virginia product as an undrafted free agent after Hauser went unselected in the 2021 NBA draft, and while the 24-year-old sharpshooter did not find much floor time with Boston in their 2021-22 campaign, he’s also shown a lot of promise.
While it’s unclear if he can defend well enough to earn a bigger role next season, he shot 43.2% from beyond the arc on 44 attempts.
Previewing the Boston Celtics’ 2022 Las Vegas Summer League https://t.co/QvZDgrKbXb
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That’s a small sample size, but with a virtually identical 43.3% out of 90 attempts at the G League level with the Maine Celtics and a career 43.9% rate at the NCAA level makes a strong case that Boston ought to keep the Wisconsin native around to develop.
Which seems to be exactly what they hope to do.
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