Great players are often judged by their ability to make big shots for their teams when needed. Iconic NBA legends such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have been recognized as players who love the big moments, and most often, they came through for their teams. Being clutch not only involves elite offensive (and even defensive) skills but also a mentality that is normally born with. That is why the most clutch players ever, including Jordan and Bryant, were always ready and willing to take the big shots no matter the result.
Being clutch also means a team can feel secure in tight games because if it ever comes down to the wire, there is that special player to handle the expectation and take all the blame if the results don’t go the team’s way. Looking at the 2022-23 playoffs, we have a host of All-Star players who are very effective in the clutch. We have already seen important offensive and defensive plays so far in the playoffs, but there could be many more to come.
By scouting the current crop of NBA stars, we have compiled a list of the most clutch players in the NBA Playoffs right now. It is never easy to ignore some players, and we are clearly missing elite clutch performers in Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving, who are both not in the postseason. The player that immediately comes to mind is De’Aaron Fox, who has just captured the first-ever Kia Most Clutch Player of the Year award, but where does he rank among the NBA’s most elite clutch performers?
Here are the 15 most clutch NBA players in the 2022-23 playoffs.
15. Anthony Edwards
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Anthony Edwards cracks the list because he is a supremely gifted scorer, and his scoring ability around the rim is exceptional, along with his perimeter shot-making. Edwards has a chance to climb this list in due time, but he is still one of the most feared players in the NBA with the game on the line. Thanks to a mix of physicality and skill, the young player has a chance to become even better.
Anthony’s big shot against the Sacramento King this season was a beautiful example of what to expect going forward from the current 21-year-old.
We will use inpredictable’s excellent clutch stat charts to analyze each player going forward, and Edwards was very solid this season by shooting 53.8% in clutch situations which is truly exceptional for a young player.
14. Chris Paul
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Chris Paul is a legendary playmaker and leader, but he is also a legendary finisher in the clutch. Paul is very gritty and clever around the rim and can score despite taking a hit. But Paul’s mid-range game might be his greatest skill, and he is absolutely money from that range. Chris Paul’s iconic game-winner over Tim Duncan in the 2015 NBA playoffs is an example of Paul’s ability in the clutch.
CP3 also came up big in Game 2 of the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, as he took over in the final two minutes to give his side the victory. Even at 37 years old, Paul knows how to be effective in reading plays and choosing the best option to pull off his patented jumper or setting up Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, or Deandre Ayton for easy buckets. Durant and Booker will get the bulk of the credit for Phoenix’s success, but Paul should also get his flowers.
13. Nikola Jokic
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Nikola Jokic has yet to convince the masses that he gets it done in the postseason, even if he is a two-time MVP winner and one of the most talented centers of all time. The Serbian is certainly a team player over an individual performer, and that might count against him when discussing his clutchness. However, if there is a game to be won, you would be hard-pressed to find a player as good as the Serbian when he has the ball.
The Serbian MVP already has a list of cutch moments in the NBA for the Dever Nuggets, and he is only 28 years old, which means there could be plenty more to come from him.
Whether it is making threes, scoring inside, or being a playmaker, Jokic has had a fantastic career in critical moments so far. His ability to dominate in big playoff games remains to be seen because the Minnesota Timberwolves are likely outmatched against the talented Nuggets side that wants to win it all this season. Regardless, expect the center to have big games as the playoff rounds go by.
12. Jalen Brunson
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What a pickup by the New York Knicks. The talented point guard has been a complete star for the Knicks all year, averaging 24.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG during the regular season and posting 23.5 PPG and 4.0 APG in the playoffs so far against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 6’1” guard hardly looks like much if you see him in person, but he becomes a wizard when he has a basketball for the Knicks.
This season, Brunson is shooting 49.5% in clutch situations which is ahead of the 45.9% league average in general. The point guard has taken 19 clutch shots this season, which is his career-high, which shows how he is not only getting better as a player but is improving as a clutch performer for a team that is striving to improve and make a deep playoff push.
11. Devin Booker
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Devin Booker is one of the best scorers in the NBA right now. Despite the criticism he receives at times for complaining or mixing it up with opposing players, Booker is undeniably a top-15 player in the clutch. His ability to score the ball and get to the rim or the free-throw line means he must be double-teamed with the game on the line. As the best one on one scorer today, teams should scramble to force other players to beat them instead of the All-Star shooting guard.
This season, Devin Booker has nailed 51.3% of his clutch shots and has taken 14 clutch shots this year over 53 games played. Booker is absolutely a player to watch out for in the postseason because he can get hot in an instant, and if he goes off, he is hard to slow down, as evidenced by his 70-point explosion against the Boston Celtics when he was just in his second NBA season.
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo
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The Greek Freak has been attacked in recent years because of his inability to space the floor well enough to be considered clutch, but the player can win games on his own. His 50-point performance in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals was the most by any player in a closeout game in NBA history.
Antetokounmpo cannot be trusted if he is fouled during the final moments of a game because he is a career 70.8% free-throw shooter and only shot 64.5% from the stripe this season. The same goes if you expect Giannis to nail threes because he is only shooting 28.7% for his career. However, he will dominate the paint like a modern-day Shaquille O’Neal and also defend the rim at a superstar level, making him a clutch player on both ends.
9. Joel Embiid
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Have we ever seen a more consistent offensive player than Joel Embiid before, as it pertains to inside and outside scoring? The superstar Cameroonian is an elite shooter from the floor and also has the size to finish inside. Embiid is also a clutch performer, as evidenced by his career 53.4% from the floor in critical situations.
Joel will come through for the Philadelphia 76ers as needed throughout the playoffs, although he will likely be double and triple-teamed if he has the ball with the game on the line. The superstar center has zero weakness on offense because even if he is fouled, he will nail over 81% from the stripe.
8. Donovan Mitchell
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Donovan Mitchell might have arrived as a superstar since joining the Cleveland Cavaliers. The shooting guard averaged a career-high 28.3 PPG in the regular season and did it despite playing with other excellent offensive players such as Darius Garland. In the postseason so far, Mitchell has dropped 27.5 PPG over two games against the New York Knicks and has shown an elite mentality in doing so.
Mitchell will be feared with the game on the line, and that is without a doubt. The shooting guard has a career clutch shooting percentage of 47.6% and actually shot 58.7% from clutch this season for the Cavaliers. The shooting guard is getting better as a player and will be absolutely dominant if he is not double-teamed during the playoffs this season.
7. De’Aaron Fox
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The KIA’s Most Clutch Player of the Year winner, De’Aaron Fox, has been a nightmare to defend in big games this season. The speedy point guard has developed an unstoppable floater in the lane and is getting better with his outside shooting as well. Fox was a first-time All-Star this season, averaging 25.0 PPG and 6.1 APG for the Sacramento Kings.
Fox led the league in clutch-game scoring this season with 194 points in 39 games needing clutch moments. Those moments were defined by the NBA as the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. He actually shot better from the field in those moments (53%) than he did at all other times (51%). Fox will certainly be one to watch in clutch moments in the playoffs.
6. Jimmy Butler
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Jimmy Butler finished second in Clutch Player of the Year voting behind De’Aaron Fox, but he finishes above him on this list because his track record is impeccable. Who would have thought that Butler would ever lead the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals in the 2020 season? What about last year when the Heat were only one game away from another Finals appearance?
Butler’s clutch performances were normally the catalyst. The superstar also proved it this year as he shot 50.6% in clutch moments and had 26 instances this season with the ball in his hands in crunch time. In case you need evidence of Butler’s clutchness this postseason, look no further than his 31-point performance to send the Chicago Bulls home.
5. Stephen Curry
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There wouldn’t be an all-time great clutch list without the best shooter in NBA history. Curry’s phenomenal 42.8% career 3-point average means he can get three points on the board for his team to normally win tight games. Stephen Curry’s shooting is the main reason he is a problem in the clutch because his accuracy is the most lethal ever.
Stephen Curry has a range of big-time shots, although his game-winner over Russell Westbrook from 32 feet might be the most memorable.
Thanks to Inpredictable’s excellent clutch shooting report, we have a strong idea of what Stephen Curry does in clutch moments. Steph has an above-average percentage of 54.9% of clutch shots made ahead of the league average of 45.9%. This shows the point guard’s elite shooting and off-ball movement give his team the best chances to win tight games in the regular season and playoffs.
4. Jayson Tatum
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Jayson Tatum arrived as a superstar player this season, finishing among the top-five in MVP candidates and posting a ridiculous stat line of 30.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 4.6 APG for the Boston Celtics. Tatum’s game-winner over the MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in the opening game of the 2021 season will be an example of what Tatum can do for the Boston Celtics.
Tatum is one of the best players in the NBA, and the fact that he appears on this list already is a testament to his prospective greatness. Tatum’s past training with Kobe Bryant might be paying off because Tatum will soon become one of the most clutch players of all time. In this season’s playoffs, no defender will be able to handle the superstar forward if he goes one-on-one, so expect him to get double-teamed in almost every critical situation he is in.
3. LeBron James
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The King is not only one of the best players in the NBA but one of the most clutch players in NBA history if passing and making the right play are taken into account. While LeBron often passes up the final shots of games, he is the best person to have the ball in his hands in crunch time because of his basketball IQ. His pass to Dennis Schroder in the 2023 play-in game against the Minnesota Timberwolves is a prime example of that.
James will almost certainly find a teammate for a good shot to win a game and doesn’t mind being the playmaker to get it done. LeBron had an assortment of clutch players throughout his career, but his deep three over Dwight Howard was his greatest game-winning play yet. Even at his age, expect The King to come through when his team needs him most.
2. Kawhi Leonard
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Superstar Kawhi Leonard is a magical player on both ends of the floor. In terms of two-way play, Kawhi might be a top-3 player in the league because he has used his skills to win two Finals MVPs in his career. Kawhi Leonard can get it done on both offense and defense, meaning he is one of the most clutch stars in NBA history. Even this season, when stacked up against the dominant Phoenix Suns, many expect Leonard to come through in clutch moments.
Kawhi Leonard’s game-winner against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 might be the greatest clutch shot in playoff history because the player would go on to win the championship.
So far in his career, with Leonard playing over 750 games in the regular season and playoffs combined, The Claw is shooting over 50% in clutch situations, and he is sincerely one of the game’s most efficient players. Similar to Michael Jordan, Leonard controls the game with patience and will always get the shot he wants in critical moments.
1. Kevin Durant
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No surprise arguably the game’s best scorer at the forward position, Kevin Durant, appears on this list as number one. Durant’s 7-foot plus wingspan means that he can shoot over any defender in the NBA and get a good shot off every time. If there is one superstar player that opposing coaches fear most, it’s Kevin Durant because you can’t prepare for a player like him. When surrounded by the likes of Devin Booker and Chris Paul, KD becomes an even bigger threat if the game is on the line.
He is too skilled and too tall to handle, and his assortment of game-winners from when he was in Oklahoma City to his stint in Brooklyn is a sample size of what Durant can do. The superstar forward will be difficult to handle in the playoffs, especially when his track record of 50.0% shooting in clutch moments. Whether it is from three or mid-range, nobody is more efficient in the clutch than Kevin Durant.
Source: fadeawayworld
