When video games enter crunch time, Jalen Brunson routinely elevates his recreation.
Now, he’s been acknowledged for it.
He gained the NBA’s Clutch Participant of the Yr award, it was introduced Wednesday night time.
He beat out Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic, who have been the 2 different finalists.
Brunson is just the third winner of the award, which was created in 2023.
De’Aaron Fox was the primary recipient and Steph Curry gained it final 12 months.
Brunson scored 156 factors within the clutch — which the league defines because the final 5 minutes of a recreation when the rating differential is 5 factors or much less — within the common season, per NBA.com’s monitoring stats, which was second-most within the league behind Edwards.
However Brunson shot a stellar 51.5 p.c from the sector within the clutch, in comparison with Edwards’ 42.6 p.c.
Brunson additionally recorded 28 assists within the clutch, third-most within the league.
Does he take pleasure in enjoying within the fourth quarter probably the most?
“Whatever it takes to win,” Brunson stated lately. “I don’t really think about it that way. I just know it’s time where truly everything counts, truly everything matters.”
He’s had combined outcomes this postseason, nevertheless.
By the primary two video games of the Knicks’ first spherical sequence towards the Pistons, which is tied 1-1 heading to Detroit, he has 4 whole factors within the clutch on simply 1 of three taking pictures from the sector together with one help.
