Celtics youngsters acing the test in Clutch Time
A lot of the Celtics young guys, 25 and under, are being thrown into the fray of Clutch Time and coming out with high grades. Boston is second in percent of clutch-time minutes by players 25 and under.
77 percent of Boston's clutch-time minutes have been played by players 25 or younger.
— Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13) November 21, 2017
By comparison, Cleveland hasn't had someone that young step on the floor for even a minute in the final 5 min and score within 5. pic.twitter.com/3f16YK9efO
Here are the 25-and-under Celtics Players and their Clutch minutes:
Marcus Smart: 3.8
Jayson tatum: 3.8
Kyrie Irving: 3.4
Jaylen Brown: 2.9
Terry Rozier: 2.3
Daniel Theis: 1.8
Semi Ojeleye: 1.1
Shane Larkin: 1.0
In comparison, the Lakers appear to be the leader in the 25-and-under-%-of-clutch-time-minutes category. Here are the numbers:
Lonzo Ball: 3.2
Kantavious Caldwell Pope: 3.2
Brandon Ingram: 2.8
Kyle Kuzma: 2.8
Julius Randle: 2.7
Jordan Clarkson: 1.9
Josh Hart: 0.9
Larry Nance, Jr: 0.3
A few takeaways. Not only does Marcus Smart get starter's minutes, he is tied for Clutch-Time minutes with Jayson Tatum. Pretty good for a guy that can't shoot. Enigma does not even come close to describing Marcus. He is unique and extremely valuable.
We are looking at two young teams. The Lakers rely heavily on their 25-and-under group from start-to-finish in most games. In the win against the Bulls last night, the only over-25 player to get significant time (24 minutes) was Brook Lopez. The Celtics old-timers get more minutes/game with Al Horford at 32.6, Marcus Morris at 23.7 and Aron Baynes at 18.3. Another difference, of course, is seen in the win-loss records, with Boston at 16-2 and Los Angeles at 8-10.
To summarize, our team is young but still has a good mix with several older veterans. Boston trusts its youngsters with the game on the line and have the best record in the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers are old and the Golden State Warriors are getting there. Trying to repeat past championships can get tiring, and it is tough to combat age, particularly in elite athletes. Boston is looking very good. Look for another article today on Danny Ainge's analysis on why this is all working. NBA TV's interview with him was fascinating.
Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC
Photo via Tony Dejak/Boston Herald
