It has only been three years since Jalen Brunson landed in a Knicks jersey, and he’s already become the face of the franchise. After leading the Manhattan club to yet another playoff run, this Wednesday he has been honored with the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award.
Last night, the player appeared on TNT’s Inside the NBA to share his thoughts on the accolade. “I think some people are born into it,” he said about what it means to be clutch. “I think I had to learn back in high school, and I’ve gotten better and better at each stage, and here we are.”
The New York star has certainly consolidated his case as one of the most consistent players thriving at the end of games, as his team is fifth in the league with a 61% win rate in clutch matches this campaign. During this time, the point guard shot 51% in clutch time and leads the NBA with 5.6 points per game in this scenario.
“Just finding a way to win,” the All-Star expressed as he was delivered the news last night. “That’s the most important thing. You can make clutch plays but they don’t mean anything if you don’t win. The winning part is most important to me.”
Brunson was first with 70 of 100 first-place votes, while appearing on 98 of the 100 total ballots. The clear second place was earned by Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic with 26 first-place votes, and Wolves guard Anthony Edward in third place.
The Clutch Player of the Year is an award named after Jerry West, and has only been handed out three times in NBA history, with De’Aaron Fox (2023) and Stephen Curry (2024) being the first two winners.
As the Knicks are tied 1-1 in the first-round series against the Pistons, Brunson quickly turned the page. “I think they’ve gotten the better of us starting the game in Games 1 and 2, and we have had to climb back in both games,” he shared. “We got to start off well. They are playing way too well for us to start off slow.”
