Let the record show that the Boston Celtics really don't have to trade Sam Hauser if they don't want to. He's adequately paid for his services and they know exactly what they're going to get out of him. When Hauser was brought up in trade scenarios this summer, it was more about luxury tax stuff than anything else.
This time, it's different. The Celtics' preseason victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers brings another side to this story that's worth discussing. In Boston's victory over Cleveland, there quite a few standouts, chief among them being Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh.
Just look at their statlines.
-Scheierman: 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, four threes
-Gonzalez: 15 points, five assists, four rebounds, five-for-nine shooting from the field, three threes
-Walsh: 16 points, two threes, and a block.
These three aren't the same player, but they play pretty much the same position as Hauser. While Hauser is currently the more proven and consistent player (for now), these three aforementioned players (along with Ron Harper Jr.) not only have more potential but do more on the court than he does.
Where Hauser beats them is that he's an elite three-point shooter, but if one or more of these four wings prove they have that skill as well, it puts Hauser's spot into question.
What works in Hauser's favor
Hauser is coming off a perfectly fine season, but it was pretty clear how much he needed to play next to Jayson Tatum to truly play at his most impactful. His stats didn't take a step back, but they certainly didn't get better.
Besides, he and Tatum make beautiful basketball together, and it's been that way since pretty much the beginning. Hauser's first year, they put up a two-man net rating of plus-10.1. The following year, that jumped to plus-14. The year after that? Plus-12.2. Even in their limited time on the court when recovering Tatum came back from his Achilles tear, they technically posted their worst net rating together at plus-8.4.
With this Celtics team, it's not just about who is the better player is between Hauser and the quartet of Scheierman/Gonzalez/Walsh/Harper, but also about how well they play next to Tatum. The truth is, he and Hauser work wonders together. Hence, unless any of those four play better with Boston's franchise player, it's not that simple to get rid of a proven duo like Tatum and Hauser.
It brings up a valid question
Because Hauser has the edge as far as how he fares next to Tatum compared to the other four until they prove otherwise, this subject becomes a gray area. However, this brings up an interesting facet about Mazzulla Ball: what matters more: elite three-point shooting or multi-faceted play?
Hauser is more than a three-point shooter. He's low usage and holds his own on defense, but that doesn't change that his calling card is his floor spacing who really thrives when playing next to a player with the scoring gravity and playmaking abilities that Tatum possesses.
However, while three-point shooting is the most obvious aspect of Mazzulla Ball, it's also about players who can do as much as possible on the floor, like elite defense, offensive rebounding, and winning the turnover battle.
Those four could all be better than Hauser in that specific contextt. If they also prove to be the threat Hauser is from deep over time, it's going to be harder to justify keeping him. The operative word is if. Whether they do or don't, this is a good problem to have, as it makes Boston even more matchup proof than they already were.
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