The Boston Celtics, in the early goings of the season, own the best record in the entire association with an elite 12-3 record following their 25-point drubbing of the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Their strong start to the season has been fueled largely by Jayson Tatum's MVP-caliber play, as the 24-year old star is currently averaging 31.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 15 games despite a rough shooting night in their most recent win.

However, basketball is a team sport, and Tatum cannot do it all by himself. And the best part for the Celtics is that Tatum, as great and as capable of carrying the team as he is, doesn't need to, what with the likes of Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, to name a few, providing him with reliable help on both ends of the court on a nightly basis. But the Celtics may have more depth than most fans realize.

While it's no surprise that a Celtics player is leading the league in cumulative plus-minus, given that they lead the league in net rating per 100 possessions (+7.7), it's not Jayson Tatum atop the leaderboard. It's second-year marksman Sam Hauser who leads the way with an absurd +121 (per StatMuse) in a mere 16.4 minutes per night, a higher plus-minus than what the likes of Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker, and, yes, Tatum, have amassed. (h/t Reddit user lilachocolate)

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Sure, plus-minus is heavily dependent on the players an individual shares the court with. However, such a number cannot be ignored. Simply put, good things happen when Sam Hauser is on the court, and this was especially the case during the Celtics' demolition of the Hawks. In 27 minutes, Hauser put up 15 points on 5-6 shooting from beyond the arc, solid numbers, but not as eye-popping as the +35 plus-minus he tallied.

Earlier this season, Hauser also put up a +23 effort against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a nine-point overtime loss and a +19 effort in a four-point win over the Chicago Bulls.

Could this mean more minutes for Sam Hauser? Perhaps. But one of the Celtics' greatest strengths is depth, and on any given night, anyone could step up. One thing's for sure – Hauser's contributions, while unsung, don't go unnoticed within the Celtics locker room and front office. And with Jayson Tatum and the Celtics looking to avenge their 2022 NBA Finals loss, they will need everyone to contribute to the best of their abilities no matter how limited their roles may be.