Jalen Brunson snagging the Jerry West Trophy? Now that’s something, right? I guess this means he’s pretty much the superhero of clutch moments for the Knicks—or, well, for the entire NBA. Funny thing is, this whole clutch player thing is pretty new. I mean, they just started handing out this award back in the 2022-23 season. So, relatively speaking, it’s kind of like the award itself is still stretching its legs, figuring out its place in the world.
But let’s dive into it. What makes someone the Clutch Player of the Year, anyway? Apparently, they’ve got this panel of 100 folks from the media—folks who, I assume, eat, sleep, and breathe basketball—and they vote on it. It’s like a big ol’ jury of basketball experts deciding who really shines when the pressure is on.
So, yeah, Brunson’s got this knack for scoring in those nail-biting moments, like, when the clock’s ticking down in the fourth quarter or overtime and the game’s tighter than a new pair of shoes. Statistically speaking—because numbers don’t lie, right?—he averaged 5.6 points in these ‘clutch’ situations during the regular season. I don’t know about you, but that kind of consistency with the game on the line sounds like magic. He also led the league in field goals when the games were on a knife edge, not to mention he piled up the second-highest total points and even cracked the top three in assists.
If you’re curious about his shooting, Brunson hit 51.5% of his shots from the field and was an 84% free throw shooter when it mattered most. Now, I’m not much of a stats nerd, but those numbers seem pretty impressive, wouldn’t you say? And if you’re keeping track, in the 28 games categorized as ‘clutch,’ the Knicks hustled to a 17-11 scorecard. Sounds like a strange mix of triumph and tension, doesn’t it?
Zooming out just a bit, overall Brunson managed to average 26 points and 7.3 assists over 35.4 minutes per game across 65 contests. Not gonna lie, that’s a hefty contribution to the team, landing him 8th in both points and assists league-wide. Oh, and did I mention he made the All-Star roster again this year? That’s two years running. Seems like he’s carving out quite the legacy.
I mean, watching this guy play, you can’t help but feel he’s always scheming up some masterpiece on the court. The way he moves—there’s a rhythm to it, like he’s dancing around defenders. No idea if that’s a thing people notice, but it stuck with me. So, hats off to Brunson and, you know, here’s to more heart-stopping, edge-of-the-seat action from him. Because, honestly, isn’t that why we watch?
