The NBA announced Tuesday that some of the league’s most iconic trophies will be named after all-time great players.
The Most Valuable Player wins Michael Jordan his trophy. Defensive Player of the Year wins the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy. And here are the new award introductions:
Jerry West Trophy for Clutch Player of the Year. (Read Also: Stats about the Top 10 Clutch Scorers of this NBA Season)
West was called “Mr. Crutch” for his history of making big plays, such as the 60-foot buzzer-beater that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals. Many players deserve this honor this season.
But how do you decide?
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Use your model to vote for Clutch Player of the Year
Mike Beuoy has already created clutch metrics on his website Unpredictable. His Clutch Win Probability Added (clWPA) metric measures the number of wins a player has added to his team by playing in clutch situations.
Here are the leaders in Beuoy’s clWPA so far this season:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2.09)
- Jerami Grant (1.63)
- Anfernee Simons (1.44)
- DeMar DeRozan (1.44)
- Kevin Durant (1.42)
- Zion Williamson (1.38)
- Stephen Curry (1.36)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (1.19)
- Bam Adebayo (1.18)
- Kelly Olynyk (1.16)
By that metric, DeMar DeRozan lapped this field last year. That passes the sniff test, as DeRozan hit multiple insane buzzer-beaters and earned the nickname “King of the Fourth” for leading the league in points scored in the final frame.
Gilgeous-Alexander has a healthy lead, and that makes sense. He’s hit some huge shots this season, including a clutch 3-pointer to beat the Wizards.
Using the NBA’s clutch stats to choose the Clutch Player of the Year
The NBA has a clutch filter available on its stats page. According to the league, clutch time occurs when the scoring margin is within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime. Clutch’s top scorers by NBA definition for that period were:
| Player | Points | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
| DeMar DeRozan | 61 | 44.2% | 0.0% | 92.0% |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 60 | 41.0% | 33.3% | 92.6% |
| Luka Doncic | 57 | 45.8% | 15.8% | 71.4% |
| Donovan Mitchell | 55 | 44.2% | 29.4% | 92.3% |
| Jimmy Butler | 55 | 58.3% | 0.0% | 76.5% |
As per last year’s record, DeRozan would be another choice for the award. He should have won the match against the Hawks. His through line was replied to by an absurd shot by A J Griffin.
The NBA Clutch stats filter is a little overdone for my taste. A more general definition of the clutch is a basket played in a one-possession game with the shot clock off.
Grant is an outstanding candidate. He hit a two-game-winning bucket in the final seconds.
Butler is also noteworthy. He made game-changing shots against the Celtics and Warriors this season. But no Clutch play was more fun to watch than his defense against Devin Booker in the Heat’s win over the Suns on November 14.
Ultimately, the choice goes for Gilgeous Alexander. He is second in clutch points earned and the second most clutch free throw takers behind Simmons; with a significant lead over the unpredictable model.
Sure, it’s hard to call Gilgeous-Alexander the best clutch player in the league with the Thunder going 11-16 this season. But without his heroism, they’re the worst team in the league. He had an incredible season and gaining time made it even better.
The award went to the losing side out of 8 in 9 final series of him.
