Wrt Waters, Edwards etc....Stevens has also (imo) done a good job collecting guys who are one question away, as opposed to 2 or 3 questions away. Waters had to find a way to hold up on D given size, shoot, score....a lot of questions. Edwards was similar.
That's kind of what I was thinking too, although you said it better.
Struts has proven (very small sample) to be an actual NBA player. At this point there is no real reason to think that Hauser is as good or better.
Not sure why not? Are we really going to argue you can't compare young players to guys who've been in the league? Strus had a year 3 breakout, but Hauser was the better prospect, has better size and was better through the same age as Strus. If I'm looking for comps, Strus is going to be on the list.
The only one of those things I really think is true is the size thing (although they have the same wingspan so meh), but it's still a fine comp as one possible set of outcomes for Hauser.
Comparing him to Struts is shaky. I guess if everything is aligned right, it works? I'd like a bit more stability in their performances, though.
The excessively hunting Hauser game plan has been an utter failure. Siakam had his worst attempt of the night when SAM challenged him in the lane. Opponents are very cognizant of his shooting and have been trying their best to take away his 3PA, which has led to some SAM closeouts and more spacing for others. Development is never linear but he is still improving as an NBA player.
Teams tried doing this to Strus once he began getting regular minutes in Miami too. They will test you in this league if there is any sign/appearance of weakness and Hauser is holding up fine so far. It’s expected so good for him.
NBA saying = "Hands Down Man Down." I.e., if a shooter notices that the defender has his hands down, the shooter should take the shot because most defenders won't be able to get their hands up in time to bother the shot.
He held up well against Kyrie too, which was a pleasant surprise to me as well. According to NBA matchup data, Doogie did not allow a FG to anyone on BRK except KD, and KD was only 1-1 against him (Kyrie was 0-2).
It's early in the Hauser experience, I'm optimistic and believe his shooting will be fine. I'd give him a B+ for his first NBA half-season. Maybe he hit a wall after the first 2 months?
Agree. He'll need to shoot his way back into the rotation, and that could take until next year. But given his contract and shooting track record at all levels, he's going to be given the chance to do so.
19/33 from 3 in the last 4 games (or 5 if you include the couple of seconds he played against the Suns).
Regarding his strength, I think that's something that comes with NBA level training. Everyone gets bigger with the right regimen. And even though Sam's not a spring chicken, he still has growth potential there. It's a good observation on your part.
This stat brought to you by the people who think that Jokic is one of the best defensive centers in the league.
Semi was good defensively for like a minute until every taller NBA player realized they could turn & shoot over him unchallenged.
Quite a few really trashy shots against Hauser, where the offensive player, after stymied by Hauser’s positioning and length, has to revert to rearing back and slinging the ball at the rim from a strange angle.
Right, so much clock is burned by setting up the ISO - Hunt Hauser!
He's a very good positional defender but to your point on list of reasons that hid his flaws....none are greater than his minutes were primarily matchup dependent against opponents who weren't able to exploit him. Mazzulla rarely placed him in a bad situation.
Agreed. Sam Hauser, as a starter, would lose a lot of his efficiency.
Its a beautiful thing when Hauser first enters the game with the Cs up 8-12 points, and he hits a couple of threes. Him getting hot early can start the blowout and when Tatum re-enters the game looking for his scoring, they can bust out the opposition, as we saw in the Toronto and Brooklyn games.
Pretty clearly an NBA rotation player imo. Ideally they extend him next summer on something reasonable: he's made very very little money post-tax, and will be 26, so there will be more pressure for him to lock in PP-type money.
His team d appears better than last year, but to my eye he is taking much more difficult threes. Don't know what else he can add to his bag, but like what I see
Hauser could be the difference in us only needing one key bench piece by the deadline which would leave Brad more chips to acquire a key impact guy. He's fine as an 8th man who you can play matchups with in the postseason.
I'm sure someone will point out that PP has played more minutes than Sam so far without taking into the context that PP is running garbage time while Sam hasn't recently. Sam is better than PP on both sides of the ball and I'm totally comfortable with him as #7 (backup WING) if Brad still wants to add a defense first BIG
He certainly is. Looks like he went to the Duncan Robinson/Max Strus school and is shooting quicker and on the move more often.
He also seems more comfortable shooting with a hand in his face. In previous years it felt like he would only take the shot if he was relatively wide open and would abandon on a close out. This season feels like an important evolution, particularly if he wants to have a role in a deep postseason run.
That's the next step in a shooter's evolution. Some adapt quicker than others like Strus, others take more time while others never adjust.
Here is how cleaning the glass breaks down the non-garbage time minutes:
Tatum's 2-man lineups are all crazy. Bref lists the Celtics 20 most used 2-man lineups, and Tatum is in 7 of them. Here's their point differential per 100 possessions:
The team defense and lateral movement in this clip were nice:
Grant had some very moderate ability off the dribble as well. I haven't seen any of that from Hauser. not that it's really a need on this team.
