The unlikely factor in the Boston Celtics 4-game win streak

Through the first 11 games of the 2022-23 NBA Season, the Boston Celtics are 8-3 with the league’s best offensive rating at 117.6. Ball movement has been on-point for the Cs so far, with the team averaging just under 26 assists per game. It looks like the players really trust one another, and they should.

As a unit, Boston shoots just under 39% from deep, which is good enough for fourth in the league. The man spearheading Boston’s three-point brigade wasn’t exactly the person that fans thought would be the team’s most valuable shooter heading into the year.

Sam Hauser has drilled 53% of his threes so far this season. He leads the team (is second if you want to count Noah Vonleh making his only attempt) in three-point shooting while taking over four per game.

Over the last three games for the Celtics, Hauser has set a new career high for points TWICE. First in New York against the Knicks Saturday, he poured in 17 points, then again on Wednesday against the Pistons he topped that with a 24-point night. The man is HOT.

After topping Detroit at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics are on a four-game winning streak. The streak has been the best stretch of basketball that Boston has played in the young season. As a whole the team has looked to be more consistent. When looking at Hauser alone, it’s pretty easy to see an upward trend. For the season as a whole, he’s averaging just under eight points and taking about five shots per game. During the win streak, he’s averaging 13.5 points and taking an extra three shots each game. The 24-year-old has made the most of the extra opportunity and it’s translated into success for the team.

After Wednesday’s win, and career-high for Hauser, Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla was asked what Hauser has done to earn the extra looks and additional play calls. His response?

“Not miss.”

As for Hauser, he’s just happy to be having success at the top level, saying:

"“You dream of this stage when you’re young. And finally being here, knocking down shots in front of the best fans in the NBA is something special.”"

The second-year sharpshooter is sixth in the NBA for three-point percentage and has proven to be an important piece to Boston’s bench. If he’s able to continue to be this productive, then his three-year contract for $5 million is going to cement Brad Stevens as a basketball genius.