When it comes to clutch shooting, Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker is fearless

Charlotte Hornets guard Nic Batum is great with a basketball and pretty good with words, too.

The other day I asked Batum what makes point guard Kemba Walker clutch. This was his reply:

"The man doesn’t fear anything. I think he likes the pressure," Batum said. "At UConn he was already like this. I’m guessing he was like this in high school as well. He’s one of the best closers in the league."

That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. The NBA keeps a statistic called "late and close" points. That is defined as the last two minutes of the final quarter of a game, when the margin is four points or less. Walker led the league in that category last season with 83 points.

If success is defined by the company you keep, then Walker rode quite a wave. The next six players in "late and close" points last season were Kevin Durant, Reggie Jackson, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, James Harden and Dwyane Wade.

How clutch was Walker in those situations? In "late and close" time, he shot 45 percent from the field and 90 percent from the foul line.

"It’s tough to be in that situation – to have the ball in your hand with all that pressure to win the game," Batum said.

"He doesn’t fear that. That’s what he wants"

Call this the intersection of emotional makeup and collective experience. Walker made clutch shot after clutch shot in leading Connecticut to the Big East championship, and then the national championship in 2011.

Last season his "clutchness" was so established among fellow Hornets that the team had a slogan – "It’s winning time" – that various players would shout to Walker during late timeouts. It was a reminder that this was Walker’s time and place to shine.

All this actually started in New York at Rice High in the Bronx. In Walker’s junior season, Rice played Christ the King at Fordham for the state championship. He still recalls the game-winning play vividly.

"The play got a little messed up. It wasn’t for me (to score), it was for one of my teammates," Walker said. "The play broke down and I just had to go.

"I came off a screen and two guys were still on me. I pump-faked. It was a really lucky shot, but it went in."

It was a 3-pointer, the first of many clutch shots to come.

"From that point on, I’ve always been in those situations. In college I started making really big shots my last year (before turning pro). I was always the guy who’s been there.

"Nic’s right; I’m not scared."

All this "clutchness" came to a head in Game 6 of the Hornets-Miami Heat playoff series last season. The Hornets were a victory away from advancing to the second round. Throughout the second half, the game within the game was between Walker and Wade.

It amounted to an "anything you can do, I can do better" show. Walker would make a cross-over dribble. Wade would hit a pull-up. Back-and-forth it went.

Walker finished that game with 37 points, making four 3-pointers. But Wade carried the night. He had not made a 3-pointer in four months, but that night he made two, scoring 23 points and forcing a Game 7 in Miami (which the Heat dominated).

It wasn’t the result Walker wanted, but he knew he was part of something magnificent.

"It was incredible," Walker recalled. "D-Wade is someone I’ve watched for years. He was unbelievable that night. He showed his greatness."

I asked Walker what makes a player clutch. His answer: Tune out the noise and don’t get hung up on consequence.

"I always think I’ll make it. My teammates and coaches want me taking them," Walker said.

"If those guys can live with me missing those shots, I could care less what anyone else thinks."

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 7:13 PM with the headline "When it comes to clutch shooting, Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker is fearless."