Jayson Tatum Issues Statement on Sam Hauser After Celtics Beat Raptors

The regular season is coming to a close, and the Boston Celtics are in a prime position. They locked up the two-seed in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors, but they faced a second-straight game against the team from the North on Friday.

With two starters (Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart) and Malcolm Brogdon sidelined, Sam Hauser stepped up to the plate, taking on a huge offensive role. Heading into the game, Hauser hadn’t recorded a dunk in the NBA, but against Toronto on Friday, he threw down three jams to go along with his red-hot three-point shooting. 

After the contest, Jayson Tatum sent a message on the second-year forward.

“I think you saw our reaction- we were caught off guard for sure,” Tatum said of Hauser’s dunks. “But we were pretty pumped and excited for him because I’ve never really seen Sam do that.”

Tatum also explained how important Hauser is to their team, as he’s able to step up when they need him to.

“Yeah, I mean, Sam is a big part of our team and what we’re trying to accomplish,” Tatum said. “It’s just a testament to how hard he’s worked, especially this offseason and this season, to be prepared for moments like this.”

Hauser finished the night with a career-high 26 points, leading the Celtics in scoring. He also posted five rebounds and two assists while shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 6-of-12 from behind the three-point line.

As for Tatum, he also put up some solid numbers. He ended the night with 21 points, three rebounds, and four assists on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and 0-of-5 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.

Jaylen Brown Sounds Off on Celtics

Though he wasn’t available for Boston’s Friday night contest against Toronto, as he cut his hand while picking up glass from a broken vase, Brown played a big role in their win on Wednesday night.

Tatum, Smart, and Al Horford were out on Wednesday, but Brown stepped up. He also received the Red Auerbach Award before the game, and during his post-game press conference, he spoke about how much he’s committed himself to the team and the city of Boston.

“I’ve put my everything into this team, I’ve put my everything into this city, into this organization since I’ve been here,” Brown said via NBC Sports Boston. “To get that award, I thought meant a lot. I was grateful.”

Malcolm Brogdon Sends Message on Celtics

In addition, Brogdon had something to say about the Celtics’ win over Toronto on Wednesday night.

“You know, I didn’t know what it would be like,” Brogdon said via NBC Sports Boston. “I knew I’d be coming off the bench. The Celtics, Brad [Stevens] they were very upfront about that…and I was all for it, I am all for it and I knew it would be a very fluid situation. For me, it’s about understanding that, embracing it, and continuing to embrace it for 82 games and in the playoffs. I feel that’s what I’ve done. That’s what I’ve tried to do to the best of my ability. As far as the rest of the team, as far as us being successful, this is exactly what I thought. I thought I’d be coming to a championship team, that’s what we have here. So we got to keep pushing. We’re trending in the right direction and [we’re] exactly where we want to be.”