I’m in the camp of Celtics fans who think Sam Hauser has actually become underrated. While I completely understand the need to move his contract and get more minutes for guys like Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, and Jordan Walsh, I’m not sure people fully appreciate just how elite his shooting is and the amount of gravity he creates on the floor.
If Boston moves him, they will definitely miss his shooting. But one way to try and recreate some of that shooting magic would be to use the 40th pick in Wednesday night’s second round of the NBA Draft on Richie Saunders out of BYU.
Saunders is an older player, at almost 25 years old, and he tore his ACL in mid-February, so he may not even play his entire rookie year. But Saunders is worth the bet as an NBA-ready marksman from the second he steps on the floor. He’s a truly lethal catch-and-shoot threat, and even if he’s not quite at Hauser’s level, he can make up for it in other ways, like his relentless motor, constant hustle plays, his penchant for attacking closeouts, and tough-guy competitive nature.
Even if the Celtics have to wait a year, it could easily be worth the wait as they could slot Saunders in immediately as a three-point mercenary off the bench who could also change the math by doing all of the little things - something the Celtics have really started emphasizing in recent years.
Richie Saunders would be a great investment for Boston
He’s far from a defensive ace, but much like Hauser, he can offset some of that with his solid size and smarts. He knows where to be, he makes plays off the ball, and he’s not afraid to get in there and mix it up, which again, should be enough when he has the potential to provide elite floor spacing on the offensive end.
Boston shouldn’t really need Saunders in year one anyway, as they are oozing with depth on the wings, and they already attacked their frontcourt holes by taking a shot on Chris Cenac Jr. at the end of the first round. This would give them a guy who could rehab with the team and learn the system, get good reps in Maine, and hopefully, start contributing for the Celtics as soon as he’s ready.
The shooting alone should be enough to keep him in the league for years as a role player, and with a second-round pick in the 40s, that’s all you're looking for. If they can land a plus rotation guy who offers one elite skill set and can impact the game in other ways, that would be an outstanding use of the Celtics’ pick on Wednesday night.
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