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Scoring a game-winner is every NBA player's dream, especially in a playoff setting. We’ve already seen four game-winners in the ongoing 2020 NBA playoffs, which ties the most for any postseason, and we’re not even in the Finals yet.
Anthony Davis recently made one of these shots against Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals. According to inpredictable.com, run by statistician Michael Beuoy, there’s a fascinating metric called Clutch Win Probability Added (CWPA), which is defined as the amount of win probability a player adds above or below a 'normal' play. Through this metric, we will take a look at the 10 most 'clutch players' in the NBA.
10 most clutch players in the NBA right now
#10 Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
It's surprising to see Stephen Curry, one of the greatest shooters of all time, so low in this list. The reason behind that is the fact that he has missed his last eight clutch shots, most recently the potential go-ahead 3-pointer with six seconds left in Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA finals.
#9 Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)
Kyle Irving is responsible for hitting arguably the most clutch shot in NBA history, with a game-winning three-pointer against Golden State Warriors in 2016. Not only is he a great shooter in clutch situations, he also takes care of the ball, logging a turnover rate of 1.3 in clutch situations.
#8 Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
Despite being 22 years old, the former no. 3 pick posted an NBA-best 62.5% effective shooting percentage on clutch shots in the regular season. He has also shown this ability in the playoffs as he made five of his six clutch shots in the 2018 Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland Cavaliers.
#7- Chris Paul (Oklahoma City Thunder)
After a disappointing exit from Houston Rockets, Chris Paul joined OKC Thunder this season and made them the most clutch team in the regular NBA season. He took 27 clutch shots this season, making the majority of them. The 'Point God' has been a clutch player all his career, scoring 27.8 points per 36 minutes in such situations.
#6 James Harden (Houston Rockets)
James Harden gets a lot of flak for being inefficient in the playoffs, but that is simply not true. He ranked number one overall in clutch WPA last season and has made two buzzer-beaters in his career, both coming against Western Conference rivals Phoenix Suns.
#5 Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
Damian Lillard has hit multiple buzzer-beaters in his career and ranked number one in clutch WPA for the NBA 2019-20 season (playoffs included). Apart from hitting the game-winning shots, he also has a low turnover rate in crunch time that makes him the ultimate clutch player.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Buddy Hield not happy as sixth man for Sacramento Kings.
#4 Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
Kevin Durant, one of the greatest NBA players of all time, has given the fans some fond memories in the playoffs. Durant hit back-to-back daggers in the 2017 and 2018 NBA finals against Cleveland Cavaliers, in the process cementing his position as one of the most clutch players of all time. He also had similar moments with OKC Thunder in the 2012 NBA playoffs.
#3 Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
Despite not being in the conversation of the best players in the NBA, Butler has never shied away from big moments. In his postseason career, Butler is 5 of 10 on clutch shots in playoffs, which is remarkable. A recent example of his killer instinct was his performances against Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
#2 LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
Here is a mind-blowing stat: LeBron James is the all-time leader in postseason buzzer-beaters, with 5 shots. As if that wasn't enough evidence of the King's ability in the clutch, LeBron James has made eight of his last 15 such shots in the postseason dating back to the 2016 NBA playoffs.
#1 Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
After his 3-point shot against Denver Nuggets in game 2, Davis has already claimed a place in the NBA's most clutch players list. He has always been an elite performer in the clutch, shooting 58 of 101 on such shots in the NBA regular season in his career, with a conversion percentage of 57.4.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Montrezl Harrell could be a much-needed defensive anchor for the Golden State Warriors.
Guess the Lakers players!
