BOSTON — When the Boston Celtics were on the ropes in Brooklyn, Sam Hauser played (almost) the entire fourth quarter. But instead of his three-point shooting leading the charge, it was his defense. Hauser picked up Terance Mann full-court, even forcing a steal that led directly to a Neemias Queta dunk. It helped spark a fourth-quarter surge that won Boston the game.
Hauser’s defense has been a staple for the Celtics all season.
“I think it's fun,” Hauser said. “Honestly, I think Joe has given us freedom to go make plays and create chaos, which I think frees you up a little bit to kind of try to go make a play. Whether that's jumping a passing lane, or helping a guy who's gotten beat on a drive, going to get a steal or block. I think it's been fun for us, and I think it's created some more turnovers for us and led to easy baskets on the other end.”
Sam Hauser has been an elite defender for the Celtics this season
For Derrick White, defense shows its colors through steals and blocks. For Jaylen Brown, it might be constant pestering on the ball. For Hauser, it’s a lack of activity. Instead of an action, it’s an absence.
An absence of space, an absence of mistakes, and most importantly, an absence of fouling.
There have been 213 players in the NBA this season to log at least 300 minutes (before Tuesday night’s games). Among them, Hauser has committed the eighth-fewest fouls (19).
“He's always just in the right position,” said White.
“Yeah, he's always been good at that,” said Joe Mazzulla.
Everyone is ignoring the secret to Sam Hauser's success this season pic.twitter.com/TqyGMMGNon
— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) November 25, 2025
It’s not that Hauser doesn’t put his body on the line. He just understands how to use it.
“I think he's just very disciplined, but he does a good job of not giving up angles,” said Mazzulla. “Ball-handlers today do a great job of taking advantage of space, taking advantage of angles, and Sam's a guy that does a good job of controlling both of those. He controls the space, controls the angles of the individual defense, and he's able to kind of stay in front and show his hands.”
Fouls will happen. They always do. But it’s not about avoiding fouls altogether. It’s about learning when they’re okay.
“I mean, it's just not taking a dumb foul,” said Hauser. “If you got a guy where you want him, not bailing him out. But overall, if you're making a foul being aggressive, trying to make a play, when the team's not in the bonus, maybe trying to run, jump in the full court, make a play, but just kind of having a feel for it, honestly.”
In the Celtics’ game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, there was less than a minute to go in the third quarter. Jett Howard beat Boston off the dribble and kicked out to Desmond Bane, who got past Hauser, as he was recovering from a help position.
Instead of letting Bane get into the paint, Hauser grabbed him. He fouled him before Bane had a chance to take off because he knew the Celtics had one to give. So, instead of a downhill drive, the Magic had to take the ball out of bounds.
Even when Hauser is straying away from his best trait, defending without fouling, he’s doing so very intentionally.
Hauser knows how to use his body to control where opposing players move on the court. Sometimes, that means forcing guys left when they want to go right. Other times, that means pulling the chair on a defender trying to post him up.
Defense isn’t all athleticism and playmaking. It’s basketball IQ.
“You have to know who you're defending, but I think he's got really good lateral movement and good defensive instincts as an individual defender,” said Mazzulla.
As far as the full-court pressure, that’s new to Hauser.
“It's definitely an adjustment, but that's kind of what Joe wants,” he said. “So, kind of have to get used to it. And sometimes it's on the fly, just like tonight, so just gotta roll with it.”
Jordan Walsh, Josh Minott, Hugo Gonzalez, and Baylor Scheierman have spearheaded the charge. But in Brooklyn, Hauser was playing the best of the bunch. So, it was his turn.
And he adapted on the fly.
“I'm not in that position a lot, so it's like, 'All right, well, I gotta go do this,’” he said.
Whether he’s helping over from the corner for a block or angling his body to control offenses, Hauser’s defensive responsibilities have fluctuated throughout the year. He’s done a bit of everything.
But the one thing that hasn’t changed year over year is other teams incessantly targeting him on that side of the ball.
“He's always kind of targeted,” said Hauser. “Sometimes they make a lot of tough shots on him, but just every night, he's just targeted, and he's just always up for the challenge. We got a lot of confidence in him, and he can do a lot of different things for us.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. switched onto him, and Hauser pulled the chair and forced a turnover. Tyrese Maxey switched onto him, and Hauser stayed with him stride for stride until he gave the ball up.
No matter the matchup or position, Hauser has managed to challenge anyone who tries to bully him on defense. The strategy hasn’t borne much fruit for those who have attempted it.
Yet teams keep trying.
“We always say some stuff about it,” White said with a smile. “I mean, he says stuff about it, so it’s all fun.”
When asked about what they say, White laughed and declined to comment.
Hauser did the same.
“I don't know if I can comment,” he chuckled. “We're gonna keep that one behind closed doors.”
Though his threes haven’t been falling at the clip he’s used to, Hauser has managed to stake his claim for minutes on the defensive side of the ball. He’s done everything Mazzulla has asked of him and then some.
And he’s having a blast doing it.
“It's fun taking it on,” said Hauser. “We definitely lost a lot of guys, no doubt. Other guys have to step up and fill the void that those guys left behind. So, if it's an elevated role, I don't know if it is or not, but it's fun. It's fun to fly around and try to make plays.”