The NBA announced the finalists for their annual awards Sunday, and New York Knicks superstar point guard Jalen Brunson was named as a finalist for the league’s Clutch Player of the Year award.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson named a finalist for Clutch Player of the Year
Brunson narrowly became eligible for this year’s awards, as he played in exactly 65 games, the required minimum to be eligible. Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic are the other two finalists for the award.
Before Brunson suffered an ankle injury in early March that would keep him out for a month, he was considered the heavy favorite to win the award. He has been one of the clutchest players in the entire league and has been the guy to take over close games late and propel the Knicks to clutch victories.
Brunson is considered a favorite to win the award
In the regular season, Brunson had 156 total clutch points in 28 clutch games, which was second in the NBA by one point with Edwards leading the league, though it took Edwards 42 clutch games to reach that. Furthermore, Brunson had a clutch field goal percentage of 51.1%.
The Knicks also had a winning record in the 28 clutch games they had, going 17-11 in those contests largely due to Brunson’s heroics. He has long established himself as a clutch shot maker who can take over games at any given point, and his efforts this season could be properly rewarded.
The race for the award will be a bit closer due to him missing 17 games during the regular season, but he should still be the favorite to win the award considering the success the team had as a result of his efforts. The winner for the award will be announced at some point during the NBA playoffs.
