Who Is The Most Clutch NBA Superstar This Season: Kevin Durant Is 11th, LeBron James Is 13th, Stephen Curry Is 16th

Everything is magnified during crunch time. Fans in the stands put their cell phones away and stop chatting with their neighbors as they lurch up onto their feet, their full attention focused on the action down below. The players on the court also ratchet up their intensity, trying to secure a win for their squad.

Some superstars have thrived inside the intense margins of their 2021-22 tightly contested late games. Others have tightened up, missing their clutch shots and dragging their teams down into the muck with heartbreaking losses.

Below we’ll rank the best clutch superstars this season, judging them by their shooting percentage during the last five minutes of a game with no team leading by five or more points.

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17. Jimmy Butler – 29.5%

41 Total Points, (13-44 FG)

Jimmy Butler has mixed an oddly lousy blend of inside-out shooting during crunch time throughout the 2021-22 season. He’s seen his overall numbers slide from 46.8% for the season down to 29.5% during tight end-game situations. His three-point stroke has also fallen from 19.1% for the season to an awful 9.1% in the clutch.

Jimmy Buckets has gotten even worse in the clutch when the Miami Heat are tied or behind this season, shooting 0.0% from deep and 25.9% overall from the field. Butler is a superstar, but he’s clearly tightened up this year when his teammates have relied on him to strap them on his back and march them from a deficit up the mountain toward a victory.

Going deeper into the stats. Jimmy Butler has 10 crunch-time assists versus 7 turnovers, and he’s only got to the charity stripe 16 times.

It’s been a messy slog for Jimmy Butler at the end of tight games this season, but the Miami Heat have the fourth-best clutch winning percentage in the league at .606 (20-13) behind Kyle Lowry’s excellent overall shooting and Tyler Herro’s solid three-point stroke.

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16. Stephen Curry – 36.0%

70 Total Points, (27-75 FG)

Stephen Curry has had to do everything for his Warriors at the end of games as their only veteran playmaker. He’s taking 75 clutch shots versus second-place Andrew Wiggins, who has 31 field goal attempts. And he leads Golden State in assists, rebounds, and steals at the end of close games.

Still, this is nothing new for Steph. Last year he took nearly triple the clutch shots of his second-place teammate, Kelly Oubre Jr., as he took on the world for the Warriors, yet he connected on 42.9% from beyond the arc and 43.2% overall throughout 98 tight end game minutes. This season, Curry is simply missing in a very Un-Curry like way during crunch time, hitting a very uncharacteristic 17.9% from deep and 36.0% overall from the field.

Stephen Curry’s late-game shooting struggles haven’t exactly hurt his Warriors. His gravity at the end of games matters, and as opposing squads have thrown the clichéd kitchen sink at him, he’s found his teammates for clean looks. Golden State has been one of the best clutch teams in 2021-22 with a 21-14 record, and with Klay Thompson back in the fold, things will assuredly get easier for Steph in the fourth quarter.

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15. Jayson Tatum – 36.0%

92 Total Points, (27-75 FG)

Jayson Tatum’s clutch shooting numbers are not the worst on our list, but his overall crunch time play could be the poorest of any superstar this season. Jayson Tatum is a nightmare for opposing teams to stop in the lane at the end of tight games, constantly pressuring the refs to blow the whistle with his bullrushes through contact toward the rack. And when he gets to the charity stripe, he’s hitting an epic 36 out of 37 of his charity stripe.

The problem for Tatum and the Celtics is he’s too often settled for off-the-dribble three-pointers in the clutch, connecting on a team-deflating 2-25 from deep. He’s also hefted up WAY too many contested mid-range Js instead of attacking the rim or swinging the ball to an open teammate. Overall, Tatum has shot 36.0% from the field in crunch time while dishing out only 5 dimes.

5 clutch dimes!!!!!

Jayson Tatum has tried to be Kobe Bryant for the Celtics at the end of close games and failed miserably. He’s led Boston to any ugly 12-19 clutch record in 2021-22 as he’s selfishly chucked the Celtics out of close games.

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14. Donovan Mitchell – 37.5%

68 Total Points, (27-72 FG)

Donovan Mitchell is on pace with Jayson Tatum for the worst overall clutch player in 2021-22. He’s hitting 22.2% of his shots from deep and 37.5% from the field in crunch time, numbers that are crushing his team at the end of close games. Mitchell’s clutch free throw woes are more worrying if you’re a Jazz fan. Spida is hitting on only 53.3% of his crunch-time shots at the charity stripe in what we can only describe as tight-armed bricks.

Mitchell’s clutch struggles go beyond his pressure-induced misses across the floor. His decision-making has also dropped off a cliff at the end of close games. Spida has fumbled the ball away 10 times versus only 16 assists with the game on the line, giving the opposing squad easy transition looks and crushing his own teammate’s spirits.

The Utah Jazz are 15-19 overall in clutch situations this season, and if Donovan Mitchell is going to help his squad march out of the second round, he’ll have to play better when it counts the most.

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13. LeBron James – 38.2%

90 Total Points, (29-76 FG)

LeBron James and the Lakers have underperformed (to put it lightly) in 2021-22, and things have been especially ugly during crunch time. LBJ is usually excellent at the end of tight games, but he’s struggled this season as AD has flowed in and out of the lineup with varying injuries and as Russell Westbrook has clogged up the lane with his poor outside stroke.

Have a look at the difference between LeBron’s crunch time numbers this year versus last:

2021-22 Clutch Numbers:

38.2 FG%, 25.7 3P%, -4+/-, and a 12-14 record

2020-21 Clutch Numbers:

45.8 FG%, 40.6 3P%, +57+/-, and 13-6 record

LeBron James is one of the best ever. He’s also one of the greatest clutch performers all-time, hitting game-winning shots, setting up his teammates for their own game-winning shots, and snagging huge rebounds. This season, LBJ has clearly been set up to fail with the roster around him, so we can’t be too hard on him. Next season, if the Lakers manage to deal Brodie and put better two-way players around The King, he should bounce back in the clutch.

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12. Trae Young – 38.5%, 

96 Total Points, (25-65 FG)

Trae Young is having his best season to date in 2021-22. He’s averaging 28.3 PPG, 9.4 APG, and 8.0 WS while hitting a career-high 38.4% of his bombs from deep and tormenting opposing teams with his mastery of the pick and roll. Unfortunately, Young’s wholesale development hasn’t translated to tightly contested late-game situations.

This season Young is hitting only 27.3% from beyond the arc and 38.5% overall from the field through 92 mostly dreadful crunch time minutes. After playing the villain on the road in last year’s playoffs against the Knicks, silencing the New York crowd with his exceptional fourth-quarter heroics in the first round, Trae Young has struggled away from State Farm Arena in the clutch this season. Ice Trae (terrible nickname this year) has shot 1 for 12, and 22.9% from the field on the road in clutch situations as the Hawks have gone 4-11.

Atlanta has slowly crept toward .500 after struggling most of the year, but if they want to get past the play-in and make some noise in the 2022 postseason, Trae Young will have to step up his crunch time shooting and lead his squad to more close victories.

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11. Kevin Durant – 40.5%

86 Total Points, (30-74 FG)

Kevin Durant is putting up one of the greatest (if not the greatest) shooting seasons ever. He’s hitting 78.0% of his shots at the rim, 59.4% from 16 feet to the arc, 37.2% from deep, and 89.6% at the stripe. During crunch time, KD has found it more challenging to get clean one-on-one looks with sharpshooter Joe Harris sidelined for most of the season, All-Star Kyrie Irving in-and-mostly-out of the lineup, and James Harden slowed a bit.

Kevin Durant is still shooting a solid 40.5% from the field as opposing squads have sent late-game help at him, daring someone else to beat them. The problem here is our expectations. We expect two-time champion and four-time scoring leader KD to destroy teams in the clutch even if they send three or even four players his way. We expect him to stretch out his Gumby arms and loft pretty jumpers over their outstretched hands. That isn’t the reality, though.

KD needs clutch time help. If Ben Simmons suits up, his ability to get to the rack (I haven’t forgotten about his late-game debacle against the Hawks in last year’s postseason, but it was one shot) will add support. If New York relaxes their vaccine mandates, Kyrie Irving’s home presence will also be a massive boon.

If KD ever gets to play with his entire squad, he could easily climb to the top spot in our rankings as the best clutch shooter in the league.

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10. James Harden – 41.7%

66 Total Points, (15-36 FG)

James Harden isn’t the player he used to be. His numbers are down across the board in 2021-22, and he’s lost the ability to strap his teammates on his back and carry them to victory in crunch time.

James Harden has especially struggled with his consistency in clutch situations this season, hitting only 20% of his attempts from deep and 41.7% overall at the end of close games. Still, it hasn’t been all bad for The Beard. He’s helped propel the Nets and 76ers to an 18-8 clutch record behind his ability to draw 42 total free throw attempts. He is also one of the best at using his capacity to collapse opposing defenses with his rumbles toward the rack to set up his teammates with easy looks at the end of tight contests.

James Harden has an excellent +44 mark in clutch situations, and while I wouldn’t call him Mr. Gametime anymore, he’s still had enough clutch stats to not fall toward the bottom of our list. And now that he’s teamed up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, his late-game metrics should only increase as he helps his 76ers amass more close wins.

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9. Ja Morant – 42.0%

119 Total Points, (34-81 FG)

Ja Morant has ascended this season, going from a non-All-Star in 2020-21 to a legitimate MVP candidate in less than 12 months. He’s averaging 27.5 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 5.8 RPG as he relentlessly attacks the paint (he’s 3rd in the NBA in drives at 20.9 per game), constantly pressuring opposing teams. Morant combines his fastest-in-the-league first step with his fearless attitude to go full Allen Iverson nightly, collapsing the defense and pushing the other team into making impossible choices.

Ja Morant has taken his get-into-the-paint-every-time-down-the-court ethos into late-game situations racking up 119 total clutch points (3rd in the NBA) and 57 total free-throw attempts (also 3rd in the NBA) as he’s guided the Grizzlies to an excellent 17-9 record in tight contests.

Ja Morant is impossible to stop one-on-one, and although his clutch shooting percentage of 42.0% isn’t a spectacular mark, he seems to grow bolder with his flurries in the lane in clutch games. He drops the hammer into overdrive as the tension builds, creating significant problems for opposing squads to handle. Ja Morant’s late-game outside touch is still a work in progress, but he’s hit enough big shots to land inside our top-10.

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8. Nikola Jokic – 48.1%

118 Total Points, (37-77 FG)

Nikola Jokic is the runaway MVP this season. He’s averaging 26.0 PPG, 13.8 RPG, and 8.1 APG while accruing a 32.4 PER (one of the best player efficiency ratings ever) and 12.7 WS (again one of the best marks all-time at this stage in the season).

Still, Jokic’s clutch numbers (48.1 FG% and 20.0 3P%) don’t jump off the screen and blast you with his greatness. The Nuggets’ recent victory over the 76ers is a perfect example: Nikola Jokic scored only three points while not even dishing out one measly assist in the fourth quarter, BUT Denver won by four points.

Here’s the thing: The Nuggets have been playing without second scoring option, Jamal Murray, the entire season, and third scoring option, Michael Porter Jr., nearly the entire year. Opposing squads have seen the lack of firepower available in Denver and have been hell-bent on taking away Jokic’s clutch scoring opportunities. They consistently send double and even triple teams his way, refusing to let Joker beat them at the end of close games.

Nikola Jokic doesn’t need to pile up the clutch numbers. His mere presence on the court generates clean looks for his teammates. In that same fourth quarter the Nuggets beat the 76ers by four, Joker’s teammate, Bones Hyland(?) dropped 12 points, shooting 4 out of 5 from deep off WIDE open looks as Philadelphia threw the kitchen sink at Jokic.

Despite the supermodel-at-a-bachelor-party attention Jokic receives during tight late-game situations, he’s still guided his Nuggets to an 18-11 record while loading up the fourth-highest clutch points this season with a total of 118 to his MVP resume. Imagine what Joker will do when Murray and Porter Jr. come back.

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7. Luka Doncic – 49.2%

75 Total Points, (27-56 FG)

Luka Doncic has played his typical brand of excellent all-around basketball during crunch time, giving us a perfect example of what a player can do when he doesn’t force the issue late in close games.

Doncic is averaging 49.2% from the field throughout 86 total take-what-the-defense-gives-him clutch minutes. If teams allow him to work one-on-one during crunch time, he blasts his defender with his excellent mid-range footwork, either sliding into the lane for an attempt at the rim or launching an off-the-dribble jumper from outside the key. If teams send help, he happily swings the ball to Jalen Brunson or recent import, Spencer Dinwiddie, allowing them to take the keys to the offense.

Luka Doncic’s solid shooting stroke and unselfish play make him one of the best clutch players in the NBA and have helped push the Mavericks to an excellent 19-8 clutch record with their superstar on the court.

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6. Zach LaVine – 50.0%

89 Total Points, (27-54 FG)

Zach LaVine has transformed from a relentless rim slasher to one of the best shooters in the league this season. He’s averaging 24.6 PPG and 48.1% from the field while shooting 39.3% from deep. LaVine has brought his excellent jumper with him during crunch time, connecting on exactly half of his 54 total field goal attempts and splashing 37.5% of his shots from deep.

LaVine has worked incredibly well with his teammate DeMar DeRozan in the clutch, providing a long-distance outlet for his partner when he gets bogged down in the mid-range with a double team. LaVine hasn’t suddenly become a glorified spot-up shooter. He’s still one of the best at getting to the rack, using the threat of his outside stroke to send adrenaline-filled opposing defenders flying for a late-game contest as he jets down the lane for a layup or dunk attempt.

Zach LaVine has been fearless in clutch situations during the 2021-22 season, refusing to let the tension of the moment get to him.

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5. Joel Embiid – 50.0%

141 Total Points, (43-86 FG)

Joel Embiid is having an MVP-type season, averaging 29.9 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 9.8 WS for the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s also been pretty damn good in the clutch throughout 2021-22.

Joel Embiid has blended his typical bag of post moves, mid-range jumpers, and long-distance bombs throughout 127 total clutch minutes. He is tops in the league in tight fourth-quarter points, snagging 141 total buckets on a very impressive 50.0% hit rate from the field, and he’s gone Reggie Miller on the league connecting on 45.5% of his long-distance Js.

Embiid has seen his fair share of clutch time double teams, and often he’s wisely swung the ball to an open teammate (16 total clutch assists) instead of forcing things through two players in the post, which is one reason the 76ers have been so tough to beat in close late-game situations.

Joel Embiid has kept the 76ers atop the Eastern Conference standings for the better part of the year with his overall play and his ability to go into a double-clutch mode during tight late games. He’s a genuine problem for the rest of the association.

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4. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 51.2%

65 Total Points, (21-41 FG)

Giannis has stayed true to form during crunch time situations throughout 2021-22. Last year’s Finals MVP has driven the ball mercilessly down the opposition’s throat at the end of close games, shooting 51.2% off mostly tough looks in traffic at the rim.

Last season the Greek Freak made only 68.8% of his clutch free throw attempts, which took away a bit of the sting from his late-game two-step drives toward the rack. Apparently, he hit the lab during the offseason, fixing another one of his few weaknesses. This year Giannis has stepped up his clutch free-throw shooting, hitting 81.5% of his shots from the stripe, making him an even nastier clutch player.

Nobody puts more pressure on the opposition than Giannis at the end of close games. The Greek Freak collapses opposing defenses like a giant stepping on a beach ball, forcing the competition to make the impossible choice of stopping him from stuffing the rack or passing to one of his sweet-shooting teammates from beyond the arc.

Giannis’s clutch play this season is another reason the Bucks are looking strong in their quest for a two-peat.

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3. DeMar DeRozan – 51.4%

129 Total Points, (38-74 FG)

DeMar DeRozan has sent typhoon winds across the league this season, dropping an easy 28.0 PPG along with 5.4 RPG and 5.1 APG, but he’s leveled up his clutch performances to hurricane gusts during tight end-game situations, blowing away defenders like they’re nothing.

DeMar DeRozan has found himself in 35 clutch game situations this season, second only to Russell Westbrook, who’s played in 39 tight end games. DeRozan has Kobe’d the league when he’s had the opportunity, hitting 51.4% from the field on mostly unstoppable off-the-dribble mid-range jumpers in clutch situations while also nailing 66.7% of his trey attempts and drawing 58 free throw attempts.

DeMar DeRozan has transformed into a 12-sided Rubik’s cube during crunch time, an impossible puzzle for opposing defenses to solve. He merges an impressive first step and an unstoppable array of spin moves and fadeaway jumpers beyond the key with his excellent playmaking skills into a concoction of fearless soup he drinks down before entering clutch situations.

DeRozan has hit a handful of game-winning shots this season, and his ability to wreak havoc in clutch situations gives the Chicago Bulls a legitimate shot at the title this season.

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2. Chris Paul – 56.4%

71 Total Points, (22-39 FG)

Chris Paul is out with a thumb injury. Before CP3 was sidelined, he imposed his will on the league like a wizard playing horseshoes with a group of unsuspecting muggles. He averaged 14.9 APG and a league-high 10.7 APG while shooting an outlandish 72.7% at the rim and 57.7% from 10 to 16 feet.

Chris Paul also blasted the league with his strong clutch shooting, hitting 40.0% of his three-point attempts and 56.4% overall from the field. CP3 led the Suns to a 22-3 clutch record, the best winning percentage in the league by a country mile-and-a-half. As you’d suspect, CP3 is near the top in assists with 28 total clutch dishes, trailing Russell Westbrook (29 total assists) by one dime despite playing 78 clutch minutes to Brodie’s 159.

Chris Paul had the league on a string this season, calmly picking apart opposing defenses throughout the game, but has somehow generated even cleaner looks for his teammates during pressure-packed clutch conditions while also upping his overall shooting numbers. If CP3 comes back healthy before the playoffs begin, his ability to run the show in the fourth quarter pushes the Suns into the easy title favorites.

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1. Devin Booker – 57.5%

74 Total Points, (23-40 FG)

Devin Booker has played the 2021-22 season like a cerebral lioness, choosing when to attack with a wisdom that goes beyond his 25 years. Book rarely uses his supreme athleticism to attack the rim. Instead, he destroys opposing defenses with his mid-range game. Booker has put his excellent jumper to work, averaging 25.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 4.9 APG while connecting on the second most shots from the key out to the arc in the NBA this season.

Booker’s overall statistics are impressive, but his clutch numbers are ridiculous. Book has helped lead the Suns to a 20-5 record in tight late-game situations. He’s also shooting 40% from deep and 57.5% overall from the field as he’s poured in a total of 74 clutch points. Devin Booker has also stepped up his defensive effort throughout the end of games, holding his assignments to an excellent 39.5% hit rate in the fourth quarter, one of the top marks among all wings in the league.

Devin Booker is the top clutch shooter in the league this year, and he’s partnered with Chris Paul, the player with the second-best crunch time field goal percentage in the association. Together they form the best clutch partnership of the last decade, creating what feels like a tornado of end-game death for the other 29 NBA teams.

Clutch Play Is Essential To Winning In The Postseason

We’ve seen throughout the NBA’s long history that tightly contested playoff games often come down to which superstar plays the best in the clutch.

This season, Jimmy Butler, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James, and Trae Young have struggled during clutch situations, leaving a haze on their championship aspirations.

Kevin Durant, James Harden, Ja Morant, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic form the second clutch tier, proving they have what it takes to connect on a significant number of their late-game attempts.

Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan both land inside our top-6 clutch players, making the Bulls a tough out for any team while Joel Embiid has proven an impressive crunch time inside-out player. Giannis’s better clutch free-throw shooting along with his drive to the rims makes him tough to handle. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are one and two in our clutch rankings, handing the Suns a massive advantage heading into the NBA’s second season.

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