The Boston Celtics go-to: Taking a look at Jayson Tatum’s maturity in the clutch

It wasn’t the most routine of wins for the Boston Celtics in the critical final game of a four-game road trip, but the NBA’s top team was able to get the job done. Robert Williams III played the most minutes so far this season since coming back from his offseason surgery, making a massive impact on Boston’s defense, and offense in the half-court. Despite Williams being one of the key reasons for a successful conclusion to the trip to Texas, MVP candidate Jayson Tatum once again proved his big shot-making ability.

With the game tied with 37 seconds left, there was only one man Mazzulla and his coaching staff could go to after Josh Richardson knocked down a vital three to tie the game up at 116. His critical shot over former teammate, Romeo Langford, further highlighted the point of just how far Tatum has come with shot-making in crucial moments.

Whether it is the buzzer-beater to defeat the Nets during the last playoff campaign, or even the bank shot over Giannis Antetokounmpo to kick off the 2020/21 regular season, there is now no question that Tatum is one of the most clutch shot-makers the association has to offer.

When talking about “the clutch” the NBA began taking statistics for it dating back to 1996, but looking at just the final five minutes of a close game, the observer misses out on a whole lot of critical moments through the rest of the game, especially in the fourth quarter. To get the entire picture of what Tatum has done down the stretch, both the clutch statistics, and fourth-quarter numbers have to be considered.

The Boston Celtics are clutch, and Jayson Tatum is a big reason why

So far this season, the Boston Celtics have played in the third-fewest clutch games of any team in the NBA with just 15, posting a quality 11-4 record in those contests.

Tatum is currently 30th in the league in total clutch points with 44 so far this season, but he is one of just 11 players with 44 or more points in 16 or fewer clutch games. In clutch minutes during the 2022/23 campaign, Tatum is a +27, ahead of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and former two-time MVP Antetokounmpo who has put up a staggering -23 in the final five minutes of a five-point game.

The fourth quarter in the NBA is often considered “winning time”, and for Tatum, it has been an area of his game we have seen a whole lot of maturity over the past few seasons.

Since the 2019/20 season, Tatum has never been out of the top 16 in total points in the fourth quarter in the NBA, finishing as the leader in the 2020-21 campaign, shooting an astounding 47.9% from 3-point range. When talking about improvement, and becoming more seasoned late in the game, it is not always possible to put the ball in the basket.

For Tatum, he has struggled to take care of the basketball in years past during the waning minutes of a contest. In the previous two campaigns, the Duke product has been in the top 11 for most giveaways in the fourth quarter during the regular season. This Boston Celtics season has been a completely different story. Although Tatum is in the top seven for total points in the fourth, he has committed just 18 turnovers which is less than one turnover per fourth quarter played. Tatum has also put together a +73 +/- in the final 12 minutes of games so far this season, good for the third-best of any player in the top 40 in total fourth-quarter points.

On the defensive side of things, Tatum has collected 12 blocks combined in fourth quarters so far this season, more than Joel Embiid, and the “Greek Freak” himself. Last year, Tatum had just nine in 605 minutes in the fourth quarter, demonstrating his willingness to affect the game on both ends of the floor when the Boston Celtics need a spark down the stretch.

Here is an example of his impact on the defensive end late in the game against one of the league’s best:

His 65 rebounds combined in the fourth this season are more than Embiid, and Kevin Durant have been able to manage. Tatum is one of three players in the top 45 minutes per game in the fourth quarter through the first four months of the season with a net rating of over +12.

During the past two seasons, Tatum has had a net rating of over 6.5, but so far this campaign has been the most productive for Tatum in his career on both ends of the floor in crunch time. His 106.3 defensive rating is the lowest of his career in the fourth quarter since his rookie season, but in that campaign, the young wing played far fewer minutes than what he has accounted for today.

It is not just on the offensive side of things, Tatum has grown into the exact all-around player this ball club needs. Whether it is taking care of the basketball, taking it to the basket, or blocking a shot, the fourth quarter is where a player like Tatum shines. Jaylen Brown has often benefited from the attention he gets from the opposition during these minutes, but looking at the numbers it is evident, the maturity for a player of his caliber in all different areas late in the game is quite impressive.