With just under 10 minutes to go in the second quarter in the Boston Celtics’ game against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, Sam Hauser limped off the floor. He seemed to have tweaked an ankle, though the exact moment the injury occurred is unclear. Boston tried to sub him out earlier, but they didn’t get a player to the scorer’s table in time, so Hauser spent a few plays hobbling up and down the court.
As soon as he subbed out of the game, Hauser walked back to the locker room, still limping, with a member of the Celtics’ training staff.
Hauser hasn’t missed a game yet this season, though based on the way he limped off the floor, this ailment could jeopardize that reality.
Prior to his early exit, Hauser had only played 4:20. He had taken just one shot, a three, which missed. It was a very short night for the Boston forward.
On Thursday night, Hauser had one of his toughest games of the year, shooting 0-of-10 from the floor, including 0-of-9 from deep range, against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Sam Hauser appeared to be in pain for the last few possessions and just limped over to the locker room pic.twitter.com/pAHFqu3rgl
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) December 16, 2025
However, heading into that game, he had been turning things around after a slow start to the season. In Hauser’s 10 appearances leading up to the Celtics’ loss in Milwaukee, he was shooting 41.8% from deep on 5.5 three-point attempts per contest.
Still, Hauser is shooting just 34.2% on the year, which is way down from his totals in years past. That said, he endured a slow start to last season, too, and still ended the year shooting 41.6% from three-point range.
The Celtics don’t have another game until Friday, when they welcome the Miami Heat to town, so there’s a chance Hauser could be back and ready to roll by then.
But even if he does end up missing time, the Celtics are well-equipped to deal with his absence. They have a plethora of talented forwards on the roster, many of whom have burst onto the scene this year.
Jordan Walsh has taken over the starting power forward spot, rookie Hugo Gonzalez has been a pest on the defensive end, Josh Minott has found his legs, and Baylor Scheierman has quietly enjoyed a solid 3-and-D campaign thus far.
That said, losing any depth is a dangerous issue for Boston, as its success this season has been aided by good health.
Hauser’s early exit on Monday night wasn’t a great sight to see.