Since entering the Walt Disney World NBA bubble, Jayson Tatum has not been good in clutch situations — and the stats prove it.
Prior to this past summer, the Boston Celtics star forward was quite good in clutch spots, which are defined as five-or-less-point games with under five minutes remaining in regulation or overtime. But it’s been an entirely different story since the start of the 2019-20 NBA Playoffs.
Check out this tweet shared Tuesday morning by Boston Sports Info:
Tatum had a strong overall game Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks, racking up 28 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. But, despite making a few solid plays in Boston’s late-game run, Tatum’s sloppy play in crunch time factored into what wound up being a heartbreaking loss for the Celtics.
Turnovers have been equally as problematic as Tatum’s clutch-shooting woes. Too often the 22-year-old commits a costly turnover, often while attempting to split a double-team, at the worst possible time.
Tatum ultimately is too good for his clutch stats to remain so poor. He likely is going through a stretch that All-Star players go through.
Nevertheless, he needs to take his game to a higher level when it matters most if the Celtics are going to go anywhere this season.
