Celtics Mailbag: Kristaps Porzingis in crunch time, Sam Hauser future

The Celtics have hit some turmoil for the first time since the All-Star Break after dropping two straight games in Atlanta this week. Joe Mazzulla will need to rely on internal motivation down the stretch after Boston clinched the No. 1 seed this week to ensure some momentum heading into the postseason. We’ll look at a few places of focus on that front in this week’s mailbag. If you have questions about the Celtics or NBA, email brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb

Again and again over multiple seasons, we’ve seen no learning in the Celtics at the end of games. The ball goes to Tatum in isolation, he dribbles the hell out of the ball and takes a bad, off-balance hero shot. He’d be better off throwing the ball over his head blindfolded.

How does that happen on a team with so much talent? The end of OT showed what is possible with ball movement, even though they ultimately lost the game.

Do the Cs have a chance at a championship if they can’t address a problem so obvious and so critical? Second, is this a Mazzulla problem, Tatum problem, team problem, or…? Sean — Seattle, WA

The lack of progression on that front probably has to be the biggest concern about this group heading into the postseason. A lot of people like to throw out Boston’s “clutch time” numbers but those can be misrepresentative for the team’s play in tight games in the final two minutes. Boston’s track record in games decided in the final minute is subpar and that’s played itself out with how they’ve handled a lot of late-game offensive possessions.

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The blame pie has room for everyone on that front but it has to start with Jayson Tatum at this point. He’s the initiator and decision maker during a lot of these sequences and his performance on that front has been rough for the last couple of years. Joe Mazzulla clearly wants to empower his best player but it’s been two years now and there’s been little progress on that front in crunch time.

Tatum is a phenomenal player but I think it’s time now for Mazzulla to take the wheel a little bit more in these crunch time situations. Just exactly how he chooses to do that is the question. We saw some progress on Thursday night with Kristaps Porzingis getting a touch out of a timeout and finding Jaylen Brown out of a double team.

Using Boston’s full complement of starting talent in some actions or simply mixing in some Tatum decoys could go a long way in making the end of game process better. Some additional reps in this department in the final 10 games of the season could go a long way fo this group.

BRobb,

What do you think the market is for a potential Sam Hauser extension this off-season? I note they have a $2M team option they will almost certainly exercise and then I believe he becomes a restricted free agent after that. What do you think the chances are Brad is able to extend him this off-season beyond next year and what do you think a fair deal is? Seems like he should get a bit more than Pritchard money given his size and position, but how much more? Thanks, Matt D.

It’s a good question but I’m honestly unsure of when exactly he’s eligible for an extension. The team sign him with non-Bird Rights after the 2021-22 season so he’s not actually on a rookie deal, just a regular free agent contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent entering the 2025 season but Boston will have full Bird Rights on him at that point since he would have played the last four years with Boston.

I’m unsure when Hauser would be eligible to sign an extension during his current deal since it’s a little unusual. However, when he does hit the open market in the summer of 2025, he will certainly be in line for close to mid-level money (if not more) if he sustains this type of shooting. The trouble for him at that point is that he will already be 28 years old so he could be entering the tail end of his prime by the end of that next contract. The good news is that he’s not exactly relying on his athleticism for his offensive production so he should be able to land a long-term deal for the first big payday of his career. Whether that comes in Boston or not depends a lot on the contracts still left on the roster at that point. If Boston has won a title or two by that point, it may be tough to fit in Hauser. If not, bigger changes may have been made already to this roster to make it more affordable, leaving Hauser in a prime spot to get a bigger opportunity.

Why does the offense still stink late? 98.5 had told me Smart was the team cancer causing Tatum/Brown to tighten up — Lombo

Smart certainly got a lot of blame for the team’s late-game woes but it’s evident at this point that the issues in this area go beyond him. Boston’s offense this season has obviously improved by leaps and bounds with the upgrade to Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday from Smart and Brogdon but that hasn’t translated to one possessions games in crunch time. That duo has largely been bystanders as Tatum has settled for isolation sequences with underwhelming success. As we covered earlier, more diverse play calls or simple involvement with more personnel in those spots could go a long way with this group.

Hello B Robb how do you supplement the Celtics roster this coming offseason? — Carlo C

Not a lot of options to work with on this front. The Celtics are currently projected to be above the second apron, which means they will be dealing with a laundry list of limitations when it comes to trades and free agent spending. The most relevant items on that front include just having the ability to sign minimum contracts on the open market and strict salary matching rules for trades that will hamper a lot of what they want to do. All of this makes it very likely Jrue Holiday is back and Xavier Tillman will be re-signed since it’s much easier to retain the team’s own players than replace them. Outside of some tweaking on the edges of the roster, don’t look for any big moves this offseason, barring a disastrous exit in the postseason.