Sham - definition: A thing that is not what it is purported to me Yes, Sam Hauser is the real thing. He has played 21 games thus far this season and has sits in 7th place in minutes-per-game after the Celtics top-6 of Tatum, Brown, Holiday, White, Porzingis and Horford. He is primarily a shooter - mostly of the catch-and-shoot variety - and does damn well at it. He can be deadly from 3-point range - averages 9.8 trey attempts per game - and hits 4.3 per game for an accuracy of .435. Hauser "The Mauser" averages close to double digit points (9.6 PPG) in limited minutes. He also rebounds fairly well and works hard on the defensive end. Right now, Joe Mazzulla seems to be content with Sam being the second guy off the bench - after Al Horford . With more seasoning, Hauser could prove to be a real asset come the post-season. A one-day-late HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the "Blond Bomber", Sam Hauser.
NBA fans may forget that it was the Knicks that drafted Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth pick in the 2015 draft - and subsequently gave up on him - sending him off to Dallas in a trade. How did that work out? The final score last night was Celtics 133, Knicks 123 in large part due to a spectacular showing by the Boston backcourt of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday (combined 46P, 9R, 8A, 4S, 3 B, 1TO) - but it was the former (and spurned) Knick who tormented his former team, scoring at will from everywhere on the court - and opening things up for his comrades. Kristaps finished with 21 points on 7-of-13 from the field, 3-of-6 on treys and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Nice work for a player once labeled as a potential "stiff, bust, blown lottery pick" by none other than Adrian Wojnarowski ( per Wikipedia ): "He's (Kristaps Porzingis) considered a stiff, a bust, a blown lottery pick until he doesn't become one." There was little "stiffness"