Home Basketball Stephen Curry of the Warriors secures the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award for the 2023-24 season, beating out contenders such as SGA and DeRozan

Stephen Curry of the Warriors secures the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award for the 2023-24 season, beating out contenders such as SGA and DeRozan

Basketball — 04/26/2024

Stephen Curry consistently performed during critical moments throughout the 2023-24 season, and his efforts were duly recognized on Thursday. Curry was crowned the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year for the 2023-24 season, surpassing fellow contenders DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

During the opening weekend of the NBA playoffs, Curry, DeRozan, and Gilgeous-Alexander were announced as the finalists for the Clutch Player of the Year award on TNT’s NBA Tip-Off. This timing was significant, especially considering that Gilgeous-Alexander was the only one among the trio to lead his team to the playoffs.

SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 16: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings during the 2024 Play-In Tournament on April 16, 2024 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

As the leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander guided his team to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a remarkable record of 57-25. He achieved this feat by averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting an impressive 53.5 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Given his exceptional performance, it was no surprise that Gilgeous-Alexander was the go-to player for the Thunder in clutch situations, and he consistently delivered when his team needed him most.

In the clutch, defined by the NBA as the final five minutes of a game with a margin of five points or fewer, Gilgeous-Alexander ranked seventh in the league in total points scored. Despite only playing a total of 107.5 clutch minutes, he managed to score 112 points with an impressive shooting percentage of 58.1% from the field, according to NBA.com.

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For comparison, the top six scorers in clutch situations all played more minutes, with five of them logging at least 121.7 minutes, and yet Gilgeous-Alexander remained near the top of the leaderboard.

Leading the clutch-time scoring leaderboard was Curry, who amassed 189 points while shooting 49.6% from the field and 45.7% from beyond the arc in 142.9 clutch minutes. DeRozan closely followed in second place with 182 points, shooting 48.7% from the field and 46.7% from three-point range in 191.8 clutch minutes.

During the 43 clutch games in which Curry played, the Warriors achieved a record of 23-20, while the Bulls boasted a record of 24-16 in DeRozan’s clutch appearances. Chicago’s impressive clutch record, despite their overall record of 39-43, underscores DeRozan’s knack for seizing control in crucial moments when victory seemed within reach.