Super-poised rookie Jayson Tatum great in clutch again




Jayson Tatum played the entire fourth quarter last night against the Philadelphia 76'ers, and the super-poised rookie notched nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in that period. He scored a total of 15 points on 54.5% from the field and 66.7% from three-point land. You don't often see super-poised and rookie in the same sentence, but this kid is special.


Jayson's full-game season averages are .493 on FG's and .486 on threes. His fourth-quarter percentages are .655 on FG's and .692 on threes. All four numbers are terrific, but the fourth-quarter stats tell us he can be relied on in the clutch. Here is what Al Horford had to say about Tatum (per NBA's Taylor C. Snow):

It’s pretty special when you’re not afraid of the moment and you just go out there and you make plays for your team and you’re confident,” said Horford. “And he looks good doing it; he looks very comfortable. So that’s something that gets us excited because he’s another weapon, another person that can score the ball down the stretch.

Even I keep forgetting that Jayson is only 19 years old. Listening to Danny Ainge prior to the season, most of us felt Tatum would get 20 minutes a game, at best. Hell, he got 12 minutes in just the final quarter last night and came through big-time. His fourth-quarter percentages may be unsustainable as the season progresses, but his full-game stats (.493 and .486) would be just fine in Clutch-Time.

Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC

Photo via Winslow Townson/Associated Press

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