Move Over Zappe Fever, Hausermania Has Arrived And It's Incredible

Omar Rawlings. Getty Images.

There was a time when almost every person in New England tested positive for Zappe Fever. It was contagious as hell and the more you tried to resist it the harder it got. During all the hysteria, I put out this tweet

Well, here we are 1 month later and what has happened?

Hausermania has arrived folks, and it blows Zappe Fever out of the goddamn water

I mean holy shit.

When we all learned of Gallo tearing his ACL this summer, naturally there was a little bit of panic. He was supposed to slide in as that stretch 4 shooter with the second unit/starters. Given they let their large TPE expire, they didn't really have the resources to fill that role from the outside.

You know who didn't panic? Brad. He immediately came out and told us all not to worry about it, Sam Hauser existed. Almost instantly, he was mocked. Talk radio shows that don't watch this team actually play lumped it into their usual "green teamer" bullshit. Well, who's laughing now?

Let's be perfectly clear when it comes to Sam Hauser. He's the exact type of shooter this roster has been looking for basically since Brad got here. Do I think he's going to shoot 53% from deep all season? No, that would be insane. It feels more like he's going to settle in at around 51%. That feels way more realistic.

On the defensive end, he's been fine! Dare I say he's creeping into the "good" department on that end? Heading into the season I think most of us were just looking for him to play passable defense. Just don't be a disaster. The reality is even better than we hoped. If you're going to tell me that Hauser is not going to be a giant negative on defense while also barely touching the rim any time he shoots the ball, well now we're really cooking with gas.

With how much attention Brown and Tatum command on any given possession, and how good the Celts guard trio of Smart/Brogdon/White is at getting into the paint with drive and kicks, having a shooter like Hauser locked and loaded on the perimeter is a death sentence for opposing defenses. Sam Hauser is currently shooting 57.5% on catch and shoot 3PA (3.6). Let me say that again.

SAM HAUSER IS SHOOTING 57.5% ON CATCH & SHOOT THREES TO START THE SEASON

Am I to believe that one day Hauser will forget how to shoot? Of course not! So when someone tells me this isn't sustainable, I can't really see that argument. Pure shooters are pure shooters and Hauser is as pure as it gets. A large component of shooting is confidence, and we're watching a player with so much confidence it's coming out of his eyeballs. I can't imagine why that doesn't continue to improve as the year goes on.

With Zappe Fever, it felt like that was more smoke and mirrors. Some games against weak competition, nothing really spectacular, he was just the new toy.

With Hausermania? It's the opposite. He's shooting like this against every team the Celts have played. The good ones, the bad ones and everyone in between. Again, don't take my word for it. Maybe you think I'm just drunk off Celts Kool Aid (I am), but see for yourself

See what I mean? It's every night, every opponent. 

Finally, Brad found his sharpshooter. This is also where I remind you that this summer Brad signed Hauser to a 3/5M deal. That is not a typo. Here's his salary for the next 3 seasons

2022: 1.6M

2023: 1.9M

2024: 2.0M (team option)

Sam Hauser and Brad Stevens. Two guys who couldn't miss even if they tried.