Jan. 22, 2026, 10:39 p.m. ET
The way that Sam Hauser has been playing with the Boston Celtics since moving back into the starting lineup, it makes all the sense in the world to have the VCU alum take the spot previously held down by forwards Jordan Walsh and Josh Minott since Hauser lost the job with a mediocre showing earlier in the 2025-26 NBA regular season.
The 119-104 road win over the Indiana Pacers was only the fifth game the Green Bay, Wisconsin native has been playing as a starter since regaining that status, with the team leaning especially hard on Hauser’s offense in the last two games. It wasn’t quite enough vs. the Detroit Pistons, but Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had praise for how the starters have been playing after the Pacers win regardless.
“We really went to it for two games, so probably even a small sample size on that,” said the Celtics coach. “To me, I just think they’re playing well. I think our defense has gotten better, I think our offensive execution has gotten better.”
“Sam’s ability to continue to play two-way basketball, his ability to defend at a high level and then it allows us to spread the floor and play a little bit offensively,” added Mazzulla. “We have to be able to go to a bunch of different lineups, but that one’s just playing well so far.”
With a 3-2 record (including a blowout vs. the Atlanta Hawks) since settling on this group, the Boston coach has plenty of good things to point to regarding its effectiveness. But considering one of the losses in that stretch was also vs. Indiana, it’s clear the implied unfinished business of refining the team’s rotation ought to continue.
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