I owe Sam Hauser an apology

I’ve consistently been a champion of Sam Hauser’s game since he first joined the Celtics. But I wavered. As last season wrapped up, I believed his time in Boston was probably winding down.

That wasn’t about a lack of belief in his abilities, but I felt the team needed to shake things up a bit, and his contract would give them the easiest pathway to accomplish that. The other reasoning was that they could distribute his minutes to some of their younger wings to fully understand what they’ve got there.

The problem with that analysis is that it undervalues a long sample of Hauser being flat-out awesome. To start this year he’s been as good as ever.

After a “down year” shooting 39.3% from three,…