The Jays did their thing during Wednesday's preseason game vs. the Toronto Raptors, but Sam Hauser was the story for the Boston Celtics.
Hauser followed up his 14-point performance in the preseason opener with a 22-point outing in the overtime loss. The 24-year-old shot 5-for-8 from 3-point range, making him 9-of-13 from beyond the arc through the first two games.
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The Hauser hype has taken off ahead of the regular season, but Celtics star Jayson Tatum did his part to keep his teammate's ego in check. Tatum was asked after Wednesday's game, "Is (Hauser) a better shooter than you?"
"Hell no," Tatum answered. "I tell him all the time if I was that wide-open -- if people let me get that wide-open -- and all I had to do was catch and shoot, I would make a lot more shots as well. I tell Sam he should send me a thank you card for being on the floor together."
He makes a fair point, but Hauser at least has bragging rights for now. While Tatum finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes, he shot 0-for-7 from 3 and is just 2-for-15 from long range through two exhibitions.
After roasting Hauser, the three-time All-Star heaped praise on him for making serious strides in his development.
"Sam is obviously a great shooter and his game has come a long way. I'm happy for him. I'm happy he's getting an opportunity and he's obviously making the most out of it. And we're going to need him. He's going to play a role for the team this year."
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With Danilo Gallinari likely out for the year due to a torn ACL, Hauser will be leaned on to provide a scoring punch off the bench. If the preseason is a harbinger of what's to come, we can expect plenty of Hauser highlights in 2022-23.
Next up for the C's is a trip to Charlotte for a preseason rematch with the Hornets. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET right here on NBC Sports Boston.