Celtics All-Star Among NBA's Most Clutch Performers in Surprising Turnaround

This is a twist.

Jun 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) shoots against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jrue Holiday (4) in the second quarter during game two of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

As five-time Boston Celtics All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum burnishes his best case yet for MVP honors, it appears he's improving across the board.

Per Zach Harper of The Athletic, Tatum ranks among the most clutch late-game performers this year. Given Tatum's recent, decidedly un-clutch personal offensive recent history, that's borderline shocking news.

As Harper notes, clutch time is defined as the window of a game's last five regulation minutes in the fourth quarter or in overtime, while the game is within at least five points. During those critical in-game moments this year, Tatum has scored 57 total points across 65.3 minutes, on a .500/235/.765 shooting line. Believe it or not, even with the lackluster 3-point output (Tatum is making 35.9 percent of a whopping 10.5 triple tries a night during the season overall, and is a career 37.4 percent 3-point shooter on 6.9 long range takes), that's actually a marked improvement in his late-game execution.

"Over the previous three seasons, Tatum was shooting 37.2 percent or worse on his crunchtime shot attempts," Harper writes. Keep in mind, the Celtics went to two NBA Finals across the last three seasons. "He really struggled to make good decisions with shot selection with the game on the line, and it was one of his glaring weaknesses. So far this season, though, the 26-year-old has been great in these moments."

Even when his shot wasn't falling during the Celtics' run to their 18th championship, Tatum was always useful in all other facets of his game, from his passing to his rebounding to his overall man-to-man defense.

With this finessed production in his late-game scoring (again, even with the drop in long range sniping), the 6-foot-8 Duke product has become one of the best-rounded players in the league. In 25 bouts for the 21-6 Celtics, Tatum is averaging 28.3 points on .453/.359/.801 shooting splits, 9.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per bout.

The four-time All-NBA honoree's scoring woes in the playoffs appeared to cost him both the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP honors, both of which three-time Celtics All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown secured. In the summer, Tatum may have been somewhat underplayed during his second tilt for Team USA during the Paris Olympics. But now, it appears he's rounding into proper scoring form as he pushes for his second straight NBA championship.

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