Doogie drains 3's, the Sam Hauser thread

[lovegtm]

Ainge also had a lot of draftees to try to work into the lineup. Langford and Nesmith were going to get their chances to crack the rotation, and I can see why Ainge didn't want to walk away from Waters, Edwards, Ojeleye, etc. I mean, posters still bring up Max Strus as one that got away. To be fair, the players occupying spots 11-17 were not going to make up for Hayward's injuries, Kyrie's Kyrie-ness, Kemba's knee or Al Horford's exile to Philly and OKC.

Stevens knew he had to do something with the slots 6-10 during the offseason as the players occupying those spots got badly exposed in the playoffs, especially in the Finals (with the obvious note that it's the first 3 of those 5 slots that are most critical in the playoffs). And it will be nice to be able to distribute some minutes in January, February, and March, something Ime often did not have the luxury to do during last season's drive.

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.

Hauser is nice in that there's really only one question: can he find a way to move enough on D to not get run off the floor.

 

[Jimbodandy]

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.

Hauser is nice in that there's really only one question: can he find a way to move enough on D to not get run off the floor.

That's kind of what I was thinking too, although you said it better.

Size is the biggest component, as the smurfs had that battle even if their shots were falling at a high rate.

We all love PPs shot, but needing to perform calisthenics to get it off against ball pressure from basically anyone is a mitigating factor. Edwards and Waters had the same problem. So, if you're short, then you need otherwordly handle, footspeed, or wiggle (think Curry, Dame, Trae, pre-injury Kemba) just to make sure that you get it off. Not a problem for Hauser.

Then there's the "can he really shoot" problem. Edwards, it turns out, doesn't. Neither could Waters (who was really unexpectedly terrible) or Nesmith (surprisingly to me anyway). Not a problem for Hauser.

Then there's the "is he a problem on defense" question. Edwards and Waters were just too damn small to guard almost anyone and were neon bullseyes on the court. Waters could pick it a bit, but nowhere near often enough to account for his size. Neither had any instincts or propensity to develop same or girth/muscle to complement their height any. Nesmith had some size, but terrible footwork and instincts and never seemed to improve. Hauser has a chance to develop some footwork and athleticism and seems to have some instincts. Jury is out. But he won't get backed down by the likes of Jordan Clarkson, which is something. He will get blown by occasionally for sure.

Basically if you have a checklist, Hauser has a shot (check), can get it off with size, reach, and doesn't need to be spider man or a contortionist (check), doesn't give up size and length on defense (check), has instincts on D (TBD), and can cover scorers respectably (probably not). That's still a pretty good sheet, albeit not perfect.

 

[the moops]

Hauser reminds me of Strus but maybe 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.

 

[Cellar-Door]

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.

 

[JM3]

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.

 

[lovegtm]

I know the comparison police don't like anyone to be compared to anyone who they're not already better than, but Max Strus is a pretty low bar by the usual standards of the comparison game.

 

[Over Guapo Grande]

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.

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.

 

[Reverend]

The Nets announcers very specifically talked about how they’d be looking to go after Houser whenever they could. Also said something about looking for when he has his hands (too) low, which I’m now trying to watch for to see what they mean.

 

[benhogan]

The Nets announcers very specifically talked about how they’d be looking to go after Houser whenever they could. Also said something about looking for when he has his hands (too) low, which I’m now trying to watch for to see what they mean.

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.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

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.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

The Nets announcers very specifically talked about how they’d be looking to go after Houser whenever they could. Also said something about looking for when he has his hands (too) low, which I’m now trying to watch for to see what they mean.

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.

Doogie particularly has to play with his hands up. The extra split second in time savings matters. Not sure how much but it certainly matters.

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.

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).

 

[Euclis20]

Hauser played just 5 minutes tonight (despite the Celtics missing 35+ wing minutes with Brown out), his lowest amount since opening night. He's still at .404 from 3 for the year, but he's under 30% over his last 22 games. His +/- over that stretch is -51 (despite the Celtics going 14-8) after being amongst league leaders in +/- earlier in the year. This is a pretty disappointing stretch because while his overall game (especially defense) are a bit better than expected, if he's not hitting 40% of his 3s he's still a liability on the court. Hopefully this is just a really cold stretch because it's not that teams are playing him differently (though they are), it feels like he's bricking a LOT of wide open looks.

 

[128]

DNP-CD for Hauser last nite. He's shooting himself out of the rotation.

 

[Jimbodandy]

DNP-CD for Hauser last nite. He's shooting himself out of the rotation.

They went with a damn tight rotation last night, but you have a point. His minutes have been dropping bigtime.

 

[Euclis20]

We could see this coming for the last week or so, with Hauser in single digits since Jaylen's injury (his minutes should have gone up with a 35 minute wing out, instead they went down). Hope he turns it around because there's no one on the roster that can replace what he brings when he's playing well.

 

[benhogan]

We could see this coming for the last week or so, with Hauser in single digits since Jaylen's injury (his minutes should have gone up with a 35 minute wing out, instead they went down). Hope he turns it around because there's no one on the roster that can replace what he brings when he's playing well.

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?

 

[Cellar-Door]

I think there is still a role for him long term. He started the year on fire from 3 and surprisingly competent on D, he's slumped hard on both ends as teams started targeting him, next step for him in making the adjustment to the extra defensive attention, and finding ways to compete on D when teams attack him.

 

[lovegtm]

I think there is still a role for him long term. He started the year on fire from 3 and surprisingly competent on D, he's slumped hard on both ends as teams started targeting him, next step for him in making the adjustment to the extra defensive attention, and finding ways to compete on D when teams attack him.

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.

 

[The Raccoon]

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).
With Smart, JB and today Brogdon out they really needed him to contribute over the last few games as one of the last remaining healthy wings on the roster... and he did!

 

[chilidawg]

He was out there much of the game with 2 bigs and Tatum, so he had a lot of perimeter defensive responsibilities. Held up well to my eye.

 

[tbrown_01923]

I am wondering if some of his struggles were injury related, such as not being a full 100. He looks smooth now and I am surprised when they don't fall. He is hitting on less than perfect passes, such as picking up off ankles and firing.

 

[joe dokes]

One thing I noticed during a few of Hauser's slump-time games is that any sort of contact throws him off. He's solidly built but does not seem very strong. As has been observed here, when he moves his feet on defense, he can kinda sorta stay with his man enough of the time. But he seems to get knocked off his intended path pretty easily by less-than-heavyduty picks or slight physical play by the defense. I wonder if he's found/learned ways to avoid that contact more effectively. After all, it's his first taste of regular NBA time. It wouldn't be surprising if his increased exposure necessitated increased work in the more nuanced aspects of maximizing his one dominant skill.

 

[Jimbodandy]

One thing I noticed during a few of Hauser's slump-time games is that any sort of contact throws him off. He's solidly built but does not seem very strong. As has been observed here, when he moves his feet on defense, he can kinda sorta stay with his man enough of the time. But he seems to get knocked off his intended path pretty easily by less-than-heavyduty picks or slight physical play by the defense. I wonder if he's found/learned ways to avoid that contact more effectively. After all, it's his first taste of regular NBA time. It wouldn't be surprising if his increased exposure necessitated increased work in the more nuanced aspects of maximizing his one dominant skill.

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.

 

[benhogan]

using Hauser as red meat for ISO hunters would be funny

https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/3/7/23628062/the-not-so-obvious-reason-why-sam-hauser-deserves-more-minutes-boston-celtics-joe-mazzulla

 

[Cornboy14]

(I recognize defensive rating isn't a good individual stat, we're just having fun here guys)

 

[Euclis20]

View attachment 63300

(I recognize defensive rating isn't a good individual stat, we're just having fun here guys)

This stat brought to you by the people who think that Jokic is one of the best defensive centers in the league.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Just because it is still fun to do this:

Sam Hauser blocked 21 shots this year (rate 1.4%) and 29 steals (rate 1.1%) in 1,290 minutes. For his career, he has 23 blocks (1.4%) and 30 steals (1.0%) in 1,448 minutes. He has 3 career dunks, all in the last game.

Semi Ojeleye, for his career, had 19 blocks (rate 0.4%) and 76 steals (rate 0.9%) in 4,111 minutes. His season high in blocks was 6, season high in steals was 21.

 

[benhogan]

Just because it is still fun to do this:

Sam Hauser blocked 21 shots this year (rate 1.4%) and 29 steals (rate 1.1%) in 1,290 minutes. For his career, he has 23 blocks (1.4%) and 30 steals (1.0%) in 1,448 minutes. He has 3 career dunks, all in the last game.

Semi Ojeleye, for his career, had 19 blocks (rate 0.4%) and 76 steals (rate 0.9%) in 4,111 minutes. His season high in blocks was 6, season high in steals was 21.

Semi was good defensively for like a minute until every taller NBA player realized they could turn & shoot over him unchallenged.

Sam's height, footwork, and Boston's switchy D hide a lot of his defensive flaws.

It was fun watching opposing teams get out of their offense, spend half the shot clock hunting, and isolating Hauser. Only to have Sam funnel the player to the middle for help, leading to late shot clock, challenged 2s by a tallish player. One of the least efficient shots in the game. At one point he was the most isolated player in the NBA. Surprisingly for the number of concentrated attacks on him, he wasn't very foul-prone (1.2/gm)