Sam Hauser a bright spot in C’s preseason OT loss to Raptors originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There will be no perfect preseason for the Boston Celtics this year.
After a 41-point rout of the Charlotte Hornets in the opener, the C’s took an 18-point lead into the fourth quarter vs. the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Boston’s reserves were unable to finish the job as Toronto stormed back to force overtime and earn a 125-119 win at TD Garden.
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Despite the loss, the Celtics’ stellar ball movement and 3-point shooting made for another encouraging performance. They dished 31 assists on 44 field goals and hit 16 shots from beyond the arc. They also did a better job of taking care of the basketball as they turned the ball over only 10 times to Sunday’s 25.
Here are our takeaways from the C’s defeat. They’ll visit the Hornets for a preseason rematch Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET right here on NBC Sports Boston.
Sam Hauser is ready to contribute
With Danilo Gallinari expected to miss the entire season due to a torn ACL, the Celtics could use another scorer off the bench. Sam Hauser showed again that he is ready to assume that role.
The 24-year-old sharpshooter followed his 14-point preseason opener with a 22-point performance on Wednesday. He shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc in his 26 minutes on the court. That makes him 9-of-13 from 3-point range through the first two exhibitions.
It’s easy to get caught up in the preseason hype, but Hauser’s hot shooting is no fluke. The 6-foot-9 forward showed off his 3-point prowess whenever he got an opportunity with the Maine Celtics, in Summer League and in his brief stint with Boston last year. If he continues to trend upward on the defensive end, he’ll be a tremendous asset to the C’s bench in 2022-23.
The Jays are in midseason form
Don’t be surprised if Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are put in bubble wrap for the remainder of the preseason. Both Celtics stars appear ready for the real deal.
Brown, coming off a 24-point outing vs. Charlotte, got the party started with a 12-point first quarter on Wednesday night. He entered the half with 19 points and finished with 23, shooting 9-for-14 from the field in 27 minutes.
Tatum notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The three-time All-Star made a concerted effort to attack the basket and it paid off. He shot 6-of-16 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
One area Tatum will look to work on before the Oct. 18 regular-season opener is his 3-point shooting. Through the first two preseason games, he’s just 2-for-15 from long range.
Malcolm Brogdon is the playmaker the C’s needed
If you haven’t gotten your “Malcolm Brogdon Sixth Man of the Year” bets in yet, now might be the time to do so. The Celtics’ prized offseason addition showed for the second straight preseason game what he’ll bring to the table in 2022-23.
Brogdon duplicated Sunday’s strong outing with a game-high nine assists in 23 minutes. While he would like to have seen more of his shots fall (1-6 FG, 0-3 3PT), the 29-year-old showed he can still make a significant impact without lighting up the box score.
Hauser’s big night was partly a product of Brogdon’s excellent playmaking. The veteran guard assisted on a handful of Hauser’s early 3s, including this one in transition:
As long as Brogdon can stay healthy — something he’s been unable to do for much of his career — he’ll be an outstanding complement to fellow guard Marcus Smart. If the C’s can get 70+ games of this version of Brogdon, plus a healthy postseason run, he could very well be the missing piece of the puzzle.
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