When people think about Sam Hauser, the first thing that comes to mind is his incredible shooting prowess, but what flies under the radar is his knack for ball security. And sure, it’s not like Hauser puts the ball on the deck very often, but he’s making NBA history right before our eyes.
He played in 78 games this season and nearly hit 2,000 minutes, and yet he committed just 35 turnovers, 0.4 per game, and 0.9 per 100 possessions. This was the fourth time in his five-year career that Sam has finished the season with under 1 turnover per 100 possessions.
And with that, Hauser is now the only player in the history of the league to average fewer than one turnover per 100 possessions, with a minimum of 2,000 field goal attempts. The next lowest mark belongs to James Jones, who won three championships with the Heat and Cavaliers during his 17-season career, at 1.1 turnovers per 100 possessions.
It’s not like Hauser is running the offense, trying to beat guys off the dribble, or make plays, but still, he’s a strong NBA role player, an elite shooter and floor-spacer, and a guy who has gotten a lot better in transition and at attacking a closeout.
Hauser's skill set fits perfectly in Joe Mazzulla's offense
This stat is largely a credit to his role, which is playing off the ball and taking catch-and-shoot jumpers or keeping the ball moving, much like Jones, the previous record holder. But still, there are tons of players who have had this exact role, and none of them have been able to take care of the ball as well as Hauser.
Everyone associates the Celtics’ beautiful offense and Mazzulla-ball with the three-point shot, but the real defining characteristic is taking care of the ball and winning the possession battle. The Celtics had the fewest turnovers in the league this season; they were second last season, and first in their title season.
Limiting turnovers is a massive part of what they do, and Hauser’s contributions in that department are vastly underrated. He didn’t have a great playoffs this season, and he seems like an obvious trade candidate with so many other young guys waiting in the wings, but we may be underrating his value.
If there’s a trade out there that clearly makes the team better, I’m all for it, but the Celtics should be careful giving up on him, as there has literally never been a shooter and floor spacer who limits turnovers as well as Sam does, which makes him a glove-in-hand fit for the Boston offense.
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