Boston Celtics wing could have major impact in Gallinari’s absence

With newly signed forward Danillo Gallinari going down with a meniscus tear over the weekend while playing in a FIBA World Cup qualifying game, the Boston Celtics are going to need someone to eat some minutes in his absence.

When Boston signed the Italian wing, the initial thought was that he’d play anywhere from 20-25 minutes each night off the bench.

It was an ideal spot with the team coming off of a grueling NBA Finals run.

Gallinari was set to provide relief for players like Al Horford and Jayson Tatum who both played a strong role in the team’s success last spring. The Celtics are now expected to be without the 34-year-old sharpshooting forward through at least November, according to early reports.

This creates a nice opportunity for second-year man Sam Hauser.

Hauser didn’t see much run in Boston last season. He averaged just over six minutes in 26 appearances throughout the 2021-22 season.

Despite the limited minutes, the C’s saw something they liked in Hauser. They inked a new three-year deal with the forward last month.

That new deal is already paying off after Gallinari’s injury. The Boston Celtics will certainly miss the Italian and the 38% shooting clip he put up from downtown last season with the Atlanta Hawks.

However, they seemingly have a pretty great understudy.

Hauser, like Gallinari, can shoot the lights out. Last season in 13 G-League games, he knocked down 40% of his 3’s. In 26 NBA appearances, Hauser shot an even higher clip from behind the arc at 43%.

There’s no guarantee that the 6-7 forward carries over those percentages into the upcoming season. This summer, he saw a dip in his performance in two NBA Summer League games for the Celtics.

Hauser shot just 25% from deep out in Las Vegas. It’s a small sample size, but definitely something to keep in mind when setting expectations for Hauser this season.

If all goes well, Hauser will benefit from getting extra reps early in the season, Gallinari won’t have to rush back from injury, and the Celtics won’t miss out on the added depth they expected heading into the year.