Video Breakdown: How Sam Hauser got open to flirt with a Boston Celtics shooting record

Sam Hauser hit 10 3-pointers for the second time in his career. And when a good shooter keeps finding ways to get open, it's worth a look at all the different ways that happened. Here's a look at the video to see how it happened.

Jan 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (30) shoots against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

How Sam Hauser got free from 3

1. STAYING ACTIVE AND RELOCATING
2. IN TRANSITION
3. OFF DEFENSIVE MISTAKES
4. OFF PICK-AND-ROLLS
5. OFF SCREENS

DETROIT -- Sam Hauser is an elite 3-point shooter. Sure, he’s gone through some slumps, but teams know that once he gets going, it’s hard to shut his water off. 

The Hawks found out the hard way when he flooded them with 10 3-pointers, Including a perfect 6-6 from deep in the second quarter. 

So how the heck does a 40% 3-point shooter get free for 21 shot attempts (well, 15 before he punched himself out chasing Marcus Smart’s record)? Let’s take a look. 

STAYING ACTIVE AND RELOCATING

First of all, Hauser is a master of finding spots to provide clear passing lanes for his teammates. He understands where he’s supposed to be and when, which looks simple but is a constant effort to read what’s happening on the floor and adjusting. 

Watch Jalen Johnson get lost in Jaylen Brown’s drive in the first clip. As soon as the Hawks switch, Hauser recognizes that Johnson in ball-watching, so he is relocating right away. And filling in the vacuum behind a drive from the top is a great way to get an open look because defenders tend to follow the action.

Screen Capture

By the time Johnson turned around, that shot was on its way. It was deep, but makeable for Hauser. At that point, the defense just has to hope for a miss. 

The same thing happens in transition in the second clip. That's just Hauser understanding where Scheierman is and where he needs to be for Baylor to get a pass out of trouble. 

IN TRANSITION

Fast breaks are great for getting open looks. The defense is retreating, guys are trying to find matchups, multiple players often react to the same thing. So if the offense is disciplined and aware, open looks are often all over the floor. 

In the first clip, Mouhamed Gueye is on the right side of the floor because he’s waiting for his matchup, Neemias Queta. But he’s one of three Hawks trying to pick up three Celtics, and his teammates have already claimed Derrick White and Anfernee Simons. That means Gueye is a step late getting to Hauser. 

Hauser smartly recognizes this and throws a fake because a big overreacting to being late in a cross-match with a shooter will always bite. The side-step gets him the open look.

In the second clip, he sort of hides in the chaos to let the opportunity present itself. Hauser’s quick release and Johnson’s lazy closeout make that an easy shot. 

OFF DEFENSIVE MISTAKES

Those kinds of mistakes happen all the time, especially against a team like the Hawks. Hauser feasted off of the Hawks defensive errors and overreactions 

In the first clip, the Celtics used a play they run a lot to suck the defense in and leave Hauser all alone in the corner. 

Brown’s pin-down screen on Scheierman’s man gets the defense chasing. Atlanta was sending two to the ball all night, so the needed help on Queta’s roll after setting a quick screen. That fell on Vít Krejčí, and Onyeka Okongwu was supposed to X-out to pick up Hauser. But he went with Queta as well and that left Hauser all alone in the corner

In the second, the strip of Jaylen Brown pulled White’s defender out of the play because he was chasing the loose ball. That sent Hauser’s man frantically out to White to cover, leaving Hauser all alone. The announcer’s “uh oh” says it all. 

The third clip is similar to the first, where Atlanta’s decision to send two to the ball left the backside scrambling. The low weakside defender, Hauser’s defender, has to suck in to take away Queta’s roll. Again, the doubling big goes back down to Queta instead of making the x-out challenge to the shooter, who is wide open. 

The Hawks defense was awful, and their decision making was head-scratching. They didn’t adjust at all and Hauser cashed in on all of those mistakes. 

OFF PICK-AND-ROLLS

Occasionally, Hauser can create for himself as a ball-handler off the screen.

This is particularly effective with a great screener like Luka Garza against drop coverage because the Celtics know the bigs aren’t going to be up to the level of the screen. If Garza can even get the guard to take a circuitous route, that will give Hauser enough room to get a clean look because the big will be at least a few steps away. 

The second clip is a hand off but the effect is the same. The big is dropping, Hauser’d defender has to leave his line to avoid getting hit, and Hauser takes the sliver of space to get a clean look off. 

Whenever teams are playing drop coverage, going to this kind of action with Hauser or any other 3-point shooter is very effective. Every time the Celtics set their pin-down screens for shooters in the corner, this is what they're looking for. 

OFF SCREENS

This is the most likely way to find Hauser.

Hugo Gonzalez does a great job reading the chaos and setting a screen for Hauser to spring free behind the line. Again, Queta rolling into the paint has drawn a lot of attention, and somehow it always seemed to be Hauser’s guy who came over to deal with it. Not only did Hauser see it, Gonzalez saw it and even gave White the thumb to look for Hauser. Great recognition. 

The rest of these are all designed plays to set staggers, pin-downs, and flare screens for Hauser to get open. This is about set plays to free up a shooter. 

That's the easiest way to get him looks, but as you can see, there are a lot of different ways to attack a defense to get a shooter free. When a guy like Hauser has it going, the Celtics can dip into any of these to add fuel to the fire.