New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was named the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year on Wednesday as the third winner of the award.
The award that comes with the Jerry West trophy debuted after the 2022-23 season and was first awarded to then-Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry won in 2024.
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Brunson is now the third point guard to win in the award’s history. He finished in the top five in voting in each of the previous two seasons.
Brunson won the award with 70 out of 100 first-place votes. Denver Nuggets center and MVP finalist Nikola Jokić and Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards were the other finalists for the award. Jokić finished second in voting (26 first-place votes), and Edwards finished third (2).
What makes Jalen Brunson ‘clutch?’
The NBA defines a clutch player as the “player that delivers most when the game is on the line.” Per the NBA, “clutch time” consists of the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points.
Jalen Brunson is now the third point guard to win the Clutch Player of the Year award in its three seasons of existence. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
(Al Bello via Getty Images)
Brunson finished second in total clutch points (156) by a single point to Edwards (157). But he reached his total in fewer clutch minutes (135.3 to 160.4) and at a more efficient clip.
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Brunson’s 1.15 points per clutch minute were more than Jokić’s (1) and Edwards’ (0.98), and led the league for anyone who played more than 13.1 total clutch minutes.
Brunson shot 51.5% from the field in the clutch, which trailed Jokić’s 56.2% success rate but was well ahead of Edwards’ 46.2%. Jokić finished second in the league in clutch assists (36), while Brunson finished third (28). Trae Young led the league with 37 clutch assists, while Edwards had the 28th most with 13.
Jokić (50) and Edwards (45) finished in third and fourth place in total clutch rebounds, while Brunson’s 11 didn’t make the top 100. But clutch, in this instance, is more about scoring production than anything else, and Brunson’s efforts on that front for a Knicks team that finished third in the Eastern Conference compelled voters to deliver him the award.
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Brunson made his second consecutive All-Star team this season and finished the regular season with averages of 26 points, 7.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game. He shot 48.8% from the field and 38.3% from 3.
Brunson’s Knicks are in a 1-1 tie in their first-round playoff series with the Pistons that will resume with Game 3 on Thursday in Detroit.
