The Boston Celtics need to figure out a way to get Sam Hauser back on track.

Hauser has missed seven games this season, four of which have occurred over the last 10 games. He’s missed games for an ankle injury, but it’s the lower back injury that keeps flaring up for him.

On Oct. 24, during a road trip in Washington, Hauser spoke to the media in the locker room about the back injury, saying he doesn’t know how/when it started but it’s something that keeps “flaring up.”

“It’s just something that’s kind of flared up. Kind of dealt with it on and off throughout the summer and preseason, so I’m just trying to manage it as best I can and go from there.”

Hauser went on to miss the next three games after this interview and then went on to play in the next 16 games before missing another one.

In December, Hauser has missed games due to personal reasons, a right adductor strain, and low back spasms. He’s played in two of the last four games and hasn’t looked like himself at all.

In the last two games, Hauser has totaled close to 30-minutes and has only attempted one shot during his time on the court, finishing as a plus-minus -17 in that span.

The one shot he took in two games was from the right wing, where he front-rimmed it from behind the arc late in the third quarter. It was a good look and he was open, it just didn’t go in.

I noticed he took his time with the shot, rather than fire away with his quick release from up high over his head, he took a methodical approach, which means he’s thinking too much about it.

On Dec. 17, Hauser said that he’s worried about the process of how he’s getting shots and if he’s taking the right ones, he even questions if he’s doing all he can to prepare for a pass to come his way.

“I’m more worried about the process of how I’m getting shots. Am I shooting the right ones? Am I doing things to be prepared for the pass to come my way and shoot it?”

Hauser is averaging 7.9 points per game with career-low shooting splits of 43.4 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from behind the arc in 23 games this season.

The Celtics need to figure out how to manage Hauser’s ailments better and get him back to feeling himself on the court. He’s a big piece in Boston’s rotation that needs to produce when he’s on the court.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla only uses an eight-man rotation in most games and there doesn’t seem to be much use of the depth beyond that.

Hauser plays an important role in Boston’s 3-point shooting system and they need him to hit those shots.

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Photo Credit: G Fiume, Getty Images