The NBA Clutch Player Race Is On—Which Star Will Seize the Spotlight in 2024-25?

Clutch moments—those heart-stopping, buzzer-beating slices of NBA drama—are where legends are made or unmade. Take Trae Young, affectionately dubbed “Ice Trae” for a good reason: when the game’s on the line, he’s as cool and calculated as they come. This season, he’s been siphoning nerves out of the fourth quarter like a seasoned pro, knocking down buzzer-beaters and sculpting wins out of thin air. But here’s the rub—despite his jaw-dropping numbers and a knack for delivering when it matters most, he’s yet to claim the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award, now into its third season. So, who truly owns the title of clutch in 2024-25? Is it Ice Trae, the hot-handed Jalen Brunson, or the tenacious Tyrese Maxey blazing his own trail? We’re diving headfirst into crunch-time stats and scenarios to unravel the real MVP of the clutch—because in basketball, freezing under pressure isn’t an option, it’s a lifestyle. Want to see what the numbers spill? LEARN MORE.

Weâre taking a look at the top performers in various crunch-time scenarios to determine who should be the NBA Clutch Player of the Year.

Thereâs a reason why heâs sometimes referred to as âIce Trae.â

The 6-foot-1 guard known for having ice water in his veins in big moments has continued his clutch ways this season.

On Feb. 3 against the Detroit Pistons, Trae Young methodically worked down the clock before hitting a step-back, fallaway jumper from 23 feet out with 1.6 seconds left to put the Atlanta Hawks up for good in a 132-130 road win.

It was Youngâs second âbuzzer-beatingâ game-winning shot in the fourth quarter or overtime this season, and only Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics has as many of those dramatic buckets in 2024-25.

We consider buzzer-beaters to be field-goal attempts in the last 2 seconds with no other event taking place after the shot (except for an âand-1â free throw).

How good has Young been in these game-defining situations throughout his NBA career?

Since he entered the league, Young has more buzzer-beating game-winning field goals (including the playoffs) than anyone else. And the four-time NBA All-Starâs 42.9 field-goal percentage (6 for 14) on those attempts is the best among players with at least six buzzer-beating go-ahead tries over that span (since 2018-19).

Better than Luka (4 for 17)? Yep. Better than Steph (3 for 9)? Yes. Better than Damian Lillard (3 for 15)? Uh-huh. Better than DeMar DeRozan (3 for 19)? Yep. Better than Jayson Tatum (3 for 17)? You bet.

With about 20 games left in the regular season, Young is one more buzzer-beater away from tying for the most in a single season over the past 20 years with Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards (2006-07), Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (2009-10) and DeâAaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings (2022-23).

In total (including the playoffs), only LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Dwyane Wade have knocked down more buzzer-beating game-winners than Young over that 20-year stretch (since 2004-05).

But remarkably, Young has yet to win the NBAâs Clutch Player of the Year in the first two years of its existence. The league officially introduced the award in 2022-23, with its recipient receiving The Jerry West Trophy. West earned the nickname âMr. Clutchâ over the course of his great career with the Lakers.

Foxâs showstopping performance we referenced earlier earned him the inaugural hardware, before Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors won it last season (we correctly projected this). In fact, Young hasnât even received a single vote.

So is this Ice Traeâs year?

CLUTCH

We remember Michael Jordan making several buzzer-beaters throughout his career, LeBron Jamesâ 3 to beat the Magic in the Eastern Conference finals of the 2009 NBA playoffs, Kawhi Leonardâs bouncing game-winner for the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals and many others.

Those moments left us feeling that those players came through in the âclutch.â However, we can help confirm or rebuke some subjectivity by digging into the data in various critical situations. We define clutch stats as those taken from the last 5 minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the game in within six points either way.

We probably assumed Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks would come up eventually. Brunson does not have a buzzer-beating game-winner to his name since entering the league the same year as Young, but he leads the NBA with 6.0 points per game in clutch situations this season.

Young sits third behind Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers with 4.7 points per game. Though his 37.6 field-goal percentage is the worst of any player ranked in the top 20 in scoring average, his 3-point percentage (35.3) is ninth among those with 20 or more attempts.

LATE AND CLOSE

Thereâs no doubt it takes some guts to perform in the clutch, but it takes even more poise to step up in âlate-and-closeâ situations. Thatâs because those scenarios take place in the last 2 minutes of the final quarter when the game is within four points.

This list tells a similar story with Brunson leading the way at 4.1 points per game in late-and-close situations. But perhaps what sticks out the most is despite having the second-most attempts (38) in these tight contests, the two-time All-Star easily owns the highest field-goal percentage (65.8) among those with 15+ attempts.

And while Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat (6 for 22; 27.3%), Young (5 for 19; 26.3%) and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves (5 for 18; 27.8%) have jacked up more 3-point attempts at inefficient rates, Brunson has gone 6 for 12 (50.0%) from beyond the arc in late-and-close games.

Perhaps most importantly, his plus/minus in late-and-close occasions is a league-best plus-47. Brunson is a big reason why the Knicks are an NBA-best 11-3 in games decided by five points or fewer.

GAME ON THE LINE

Weâve left you with the biggest nail-biting, nerve-wracking situations of them all â shots with the âgame on the line.â We define âgame on the lineâ as the last 24 seconds of the final quarter when the game is within three points.

The usual suspects also headline this list, but itâs important to note Maxeyâs ability to attack and get to the foul line. Thatâs a critical element in the final moments of close games â and he easily tops the NBA in free-throw attempts with the game on the line.

Maxey has gone a cool 17 for 18 from the line in those pressure-filled situations, while Brunson has sunk all 11 of his free-throw attempts and Young has made 13 of 14.

The numbers also highlight how Nikola Jokic stays true to his own brilliant style of play â even in crunch time. Jokic has totaled 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists in situations with the game on the line. So he has the fourth-most points and is the only player in the league with more than three boards and one assist.

THE PICK: JALEN BRUNSON

Itâs pretty clear from breaking down decisive situations from every angle that the award should go to one of three players â Young, Brunson or Maxey.

Young certainly deserves some votes in 2024-25 and definitely some type of career achievement recognition for his performance in this category, but we canât ignore Brunsonâs exceptional numbers and effort that has led to wins for the Knicks.

Brunson ranks eighth in the league in scoring with 26.1 points per game heading into Wednesdayâs action, but heâs first in points in clutch and late-and-close situations and right at the top with Maxey and Young with the game on the line.

And thatâs what matters most.

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The post The Crunch-Time Report: Who Should Be the 2024-25 NBA Clutch Player of the Year? appeared first on Opta Analyst.