Scored the Most Clutch Points in 2022-23 Season and Fourth-Most Clutch Points Over The Last 10 Seasons
Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has been named the 2022-23 KIA NBA Clutch Player of the Year, the NBA announced today.
Fox’s play in clutch situations led to him receiving 460 points (91 first-places votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
Fox is the first-ever recipient of The Jerry West Trophy after leading the NBA this season in clutch points (194), which are the most by a player since LeBron James (197) during the 2017-18 season and the fourth-most over the last 10 seasons. A 2023 NBA All-Star selection, he led the league in clutch points per game (5.0) and finished the season with 72 made field goals in the clutch, which ranked first in the NBA. Fox shot 52.9% from the floor in clutch time situations, the third-highest shooting percentage among players with at least 50 clutch field goal attempts.
In his sixth season, Fox helped lead the Kings to the most clutch points (508), highest scoring average (11.5) and best field goal percentage (50.7%) in the NBA this year. Sacramento’s 11.5 clutch points per contest are the most since the Portland Trail Blazers (11.6) during the 2006-07 season. In 44 clutch games in 2022-23, Sacramento went 25-19 (.568), tied for the sixth-most clutch wins in the NBA.
Fox totaled 547 points in fourth quarter play this season and scored 10 points or more in the final frame in a league-leading 26 games, including two games with 20+ points. He was one of three players this season with multiple 20-point fourth quarters.
Behind Fox, Sacramento ended the season ranked second in total points (2,356) and points per game (28.7) in the fourth quarter. The Kings also held the second-highest fourth quarter field goal percentage (49.4%) and 3-point shooting percentage (38.3%).