JUST IN: Celtics reserve shooter finds his stroke after slow start

BOSTON (AP) — Sam Hauser’s 3-point shooting has been on fire, but there’s no extra pep in his step when he’s on a roll. No, making threes is to be expected.

“It’s kind of my job,” Hauser said following the Celtics’ rout of the Raptors. “It’s nothing out of the ordinary. Obviously, it’s nice to see more pass than fail, so I’m very pleased. But, hey, it’s my job, so I have to be prepared to take some shots.”

While Hauser dismisses some of his recent play, the Celtics will take any production from their sharpshooter. Although it is still early in the season, Hauser has come on strong since the calendar turned to November.

Hauser had a minor slump at the start of the season, hitting only 3-of-15 three-point attempts in three October games. But, over the last six games, Hauser has gone on a tear, making 21-of-38 3-point attempts (55.3%). Not only is he knocking them down, but the volume is also a huge plus for the Celtics as his teammates encourage him to shoot frequently.

While he appeared in 80 games last season, Hauser has gotten more minutes and a more established role this season. And C’s coach Joe Mazzulla has put his faith in him to produce. As a result, he has more clarity in his role because he can relax whenever he sees the court.

“You can kind of dig your feet in a little bit you could say,” Hauser went on to say. “And just knowing that your number’s going to get called more often this year than it was last year is pretty cool and you just want to make the most of it and kind of have gratitude with where you’re at.”

The Celtics will take a confident, comfortable Hauser because there are plenty of minutes available. While the C’s have arguably the best top-6 in the league, the rest of the lineup is more of a question mark. That’s where Hauser and Payton Pritchard come in, as they’ve already contributed this season.

“Not every night’s going to be great but it’s how you bounce back and respond the next game,” Hauser went on to say. “And I think we both did a good job of it this year.” We haven’t played flawlessly every night, but if one of us falters, another is there to pick them up. So I believe you want to be the best version of yourself every day, which sometimes means doing things other than shooting shots.”