The Celtics are going to need their bench to pull real weight this season, and Sam Hauser has already shown how much that can matter.
Boston’s stars - Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown - have carried plenty of the load over the years, but the team has also benefited from having role players who can steady things when the rotation turns over. That need feels even sharper now after changes to the roster this summer, with the 2026-27 season putting more pressure on the supporting cast to keep the machine moving.
Hauser is one of the first names that comes up in that conversation. The Celtics will be counting on production from players like Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, but Hauser’s scoring has been a particularly clear marker for Boston’s success.
The numbers are hard to ignore. In Hauser’s career, the Celtics are 90-19 in the regular season when he scores at least 10 points. When he finishes below that mark, Boston still has a strong 153-72 record, but the win rate drops from 82.6% to 68.0%.
That’s the kind of split that tells a story. When Hauser gives Boston a useful night off the bench, the Celtics have usually been in a much better spot to finish the job.
He won’t be the only reserve Boston leans on, but he’s expected to be one of the first players off the bench. And in the Celtics’ championship season in 2024, Hauser averaged 9.0 points in 22 minutes - a level of production Boston will be hoping to see again this season.
In Other News...
Celtics Owner Just Framed The Jaylen Brown Trade Differently
The shock of Jaylen Brown landing in Philadelphia still hangs over Boston, and not just because of what he meant on the floor. Brown spent 10 seasons with the Celtics, became one of the faces of the franchise and capped it by winning 2024 NBA Finals MVP, so any move sending him to a direct rival with championship ambitions was always going to land hard with the fan base.
Bill Chisholm addressed the decision more as a test of organizational belief than a simple roster swap, framing it as the kind of call front offices make when they are convinced the long view matters. He acknowledged it was a hard one personally, and Browns standing in the community only sharpened that feeling, but the Celtics now have to live with the reality of seeing him in 76ers colors, with the next Boston-Philadelphia meetings set to draw plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]
Jayson Tatum's Viral Workout Has Celtics Fans Arguing About His Shot Selection
Jayson Tatums latest workout clip gave Celtics fans something to chew on in the middle of the offseason, with Boston sharing video of him pulling up for a one-legged 3-pointer that quickly took off on social media. It is the kind of shot that always invites debate around Tatum, whose offensive game already stretches defenses in plenty of ways and whose practice reps tend to get dissected almost as closely as his game film.
The argument is less about whether Tatum should be experimenting and more about whether this is a shot worth keeping in the toolkit. He tried four one-legged 3-pointers last season and missed all of them, though they were only a tiny slice of his overall attempts, which is why the reaction has landed more as a talking point than a real concern for Boston. Even with the fan split, it is hard to see this workout clip changing much about the Celtics immediate outlook. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Chisholm Just Reopened A Huge Celtics Arena Debate
Bill Chisholms recent radio appearance gave Celtics fans another glimpse at a debate that never really goes away in Boston: whether the franchise should someday play in a building it controls itself. For now, Chisholm made clear that owning an arena is not a requirement for the Celtics, and TD Garden remains the expected home, but he also left the door open by saying the team would at least consider the idea if it could meaningfully improve the experience for fans and players.
For a franchise with one of the leagues deepest roots and most loyal followings, the question is less about nostalgia than long-term fit. TD Garden has been the teams stage for years, yet Chisholms comments suggest the Celtics are still willing to think big about what comes next, even if there is no immediate push to turn that possibility into reality. [Read more 🡒]