Jalen Brunson Leads NBA Clutch Player Race Despite Month-Long Injury
Jalen Brunson has surged ahead of Nikola Jokic in the NBA Clutch Player of the Year race, even after sitting out a month with an ankle sprain.
The New York Knicks captain has become the betting favorite with just two weeks left in the regular season.
Sportsbooks now have Brunson at -185 odds, putting him comfortably ahead of MVP candidate Jokic (+200) who had led the race for most of the season.
It’s a remarkable climb for Brunson, who opened at +1400 odds when the season began.
Last year’s winner Steph Curry started as the favorite, with Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic close behind. But Brunson’s ice-cold performance in pressure situations has made him the man to beat.
The timing couldn’t be better for New York. Brunson is expected to return against Atlanta as the Knicks make their final push toward a third straight playoff appearance with just six games remaining.
His return also comes just in time to meet the minimum games threshold for postseason awards eligibility.
Brunson’s Clutch Numbers Are Off The Charts
Before getting hurt, Brunson was putting up mind-blowing stats when games got tight.
He’s scored 132 points in clutch situations this season while shooting 52/34/81. His 5.7 points per game in the clutch (on 52.4% shooting) is the highest since Russell Westbrook’s MVP season in 2017.
The Knicks have gone 16-7 in those nail-biting moments with Brunson leading the charge.
What’s really impressive? His field goal percentage of .718 in the final two minutes ranks as the second highest in NBA history.
He’s not just scoring either. Brunson has dished out 74 assists against only 26 turnovers in clutch time, averaging one assist per game when the pressure’s on.
That kind of ball security in the fourth quarter is exactly what you want from your floor general.
The Race Isn’t Over Yet
Despite Brunson’s impressive resume, he’s actually third in total clutch points this season with 145.
Trae Young leads all players with 152 clutch points, while Anthony Edwards sits second with 148.
This could matter in the final voting, as both previous winners of this award (including Curry last year) led the league in clutch scoring when the regular season ended.
Jokic isn’t far behind with 131 clutch points, while DeMar DeRozan rounds out the top five with 122.
With Brunson returning and a handful of games left, the race for clutch supremacy could still see some last-minute drama.
