The Boston Celtics‘ approach to the offseason hasn’t been to add new players but to lock in the ones they already have, and the franchise’s most recent signing is an extension of that philosophy.
Boston inked role player and 3-point specialist Sam Hauser to a new contract on Sunday, July 21, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser – one of the NBA’s most accurate three-point shooters — has agreed on a four-year, $45 million contract extension, his agent Jason Glushon of @GlushonSM tells ESPN.
“Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser — one of the NBA’s most accurate three-point shooters — has agreed on a four-year, $45 million contract extension, his agent Jason Glushon of @GlushonSM tells ESPN,” Wojnarowski reported via X.
The Celtics also signed Jayson Tatum to a five-year, $314 million extension and Derrick White to a four-year contract worth $118 million in early July.
Sam Hauser’s 3-Point Skills Make Him Perfect Fit for Celtics Offense
Hauser joined the Celtics as an un-drafted free agent out of the University of Virginia in 2021.
He slowly climbed the ladder from 6.1 minutes and 2.5 points per game during his rookie campaign to 22 minutes and 9.0 points per night last season, according to Basketball Reference.
Hauser is a career 42.2% 3-point shooter on 4.6 attempts per game and has never shot worse than 41.8% from deep as a pro. He hit 42.4% of 5.9 attempts nightly last season.
His ability as a 3-point shooter makes him a quality fit with Boston’s five-out offense that relies on floor spacing and pulling defenders out to the 3-point line to open up driving lanes for playmakers like Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But the Celtics also ascribe to the offensive philosophy that shooting more 3s than one’s opponents is a crucial element of winning, so they take a bunch of them.
Boston attempted more 3-pointers per game than any other team in the NBA last season, putting up 42.5 attempts nightly, according to StatMuse. The Celtics also made the most 3s at 16.5 per game, or roughly 39%. They were the No. 2 scoring team in the league in 2023-24 at 120.6 points per contest, second only to the Indiana Pacers (123.3).
Celtics Will Bring Back Top 10 Players From Championship Roster
Boston’s offensive approach helped the team breeze through the Eastern Conference Playoffs and the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics went 16-3 throughout the postseason on their way to the franchise’s 18th title — the most in league history. They were able to accomplish that despite playing without starting big man Kristaps Porzingis for much of the playoffs.
While Porzingis will likely miss an extended period of time to begin next season due to a foot injury, he will be back in green and white at some point next year. After extending Brown and Tatum, both former No. 3 overall picks, and extending White and Hauser, the Celtics will bring back the top 10 players from their championship roster based a minutes-per-game average.
Joining those five on the team next season will be Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman. The salaries for Boston’s core members could put the team in proverbial salary cap jail following the 2024-25 campaign, which may require the Celtics to eventually part ways with one of their key contributors and/or starters to avoid draconian second-apron penalties.
For at least one more season, however, Boston will bring the band back together and look to become the NBA’s first repeat champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2018.
