The Clutch Player of the Year award was first handed out in the NBA after the 2022-23 regular season. The winner receives the Jerry West Trophy, named after the famed former Los Angeles Lakers player who was known for his clutch play and was nicknamed Mr. Clutch. The inaugural winner was De’Aaron Fox (then of the Sacramento Kings), and last season saw Stephen Curry named for the honor. The NBA has announced the 20 players who can be chosen by voters for the 2024-25 Clutch Player of the Year.
NBA Announces Nominees For 2024-25 Clutch Player Of The Year
There Are 20 Players That Can Be Voted On For The 2024-25 Clutch Player Of The Year
On Tuesday, NBA analyst Kevin O’Conner tweeted out the 20 candidates for the 2024-25 Clutch Player of the Year. They are as follows (listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Jaylen Brown, Celtics
Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Stephen Curry, Warriors
DeMar DeRozan, Kings
Luka Doncic, Mavericks/Lakers
Kevin Durant, Suns
Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
De’Aaron Fox, Kings/Spurs
Darius Garland, Cavaliers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
Tyler Herro, Heat
Kyrie Irving, Mavericks
LeBron James, Lakers
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Tyrese Maxey, 76ers
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers
Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers
Jayson Tatum, Celtics
Derrick White, Celtics
Trae Young, Hawks
The official candidates for Clutch Player of the Year, as chosen by the NBA's 30 head coaches:
Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers
Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
Darius Garland, Cavaliers
De'Aaron Fox, Spurs
DeMar DeRozan, Kings
Derrick White, Celtics
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers…— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 15, 2025
Now some of these players were on teams that didn’t even reach the playoffs or Play-In Tournament. It doesn’t seem likely that they will have much chance at taking home the award because of that. Those players are Durant, Fox, Maxey, and Simons, members of one of the 10 teams that saw their season end once the regular season did.
The Kings ended a 16-year playoff drought when Fox won the award in its inaugural year. The Golden State Warriors didn’t reach the postseason bracket last season when Curry won, but they did finish 10 games over .500 at 46-36 and at least qualified for the Play-In Tournament.
Jalen Brunson Is The Favorite To Take Home The Award
For the past couple months, it has seemed like this would be Brunson’s award to lose. The New York Knicks were involved in countless close outings, and it was Brunson that was constantly helping the Knicks pull out close wins. An ankle injury did sideline the 28-year-old point guard for 15 games though, through much of March and early April.
Despite that, Brunson is still the heavy favorite to be crowned the third winner of the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year. On Covers.com, he is listed as a -200 favorite. The next two-best odds are Jokic (+220) and Young (+600). Nobody else has better than +6000 odds.
The 6-foot-2 Brunson was a part of 28 games that the NBA defines as clutch-time. During those clutch moments, he shot 52-101 (51.5%) from the field and 42-50 (84.0%) from the free-throw line. He had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.5, and New York was a +22 in his 135 clutch minutes. Not only has he constantly come through in the clutch, but Brunson has done it while the defense is well aware that he will get the ball in his hands when the game is in the balance. Brunson also had the highest usage rate in the clutch (minimum of 30 minutes) at 42.4%.
Photo credit: © David Reginek-Imagn Images
