Hope is stronger than ever that the New York Knicks' 52-year championship drought could soon end. New York has built one of the best starting lineups in the NBA, with a core of players capable of filling a variety of roles and providing remarkable value at their respective positions.
When all else fails in New York, however, there's one reason optimism persists: All the Knicks really need to do is get the ball to Jalen Brunson.
That's, of course, an oversimplification of what goes into New York boasting the fourth-best record in the NBA at 39-20. Brunson, however, has proven to have an unavoidable ability to put the team on his back and execute at a truly elite level when the game is on the line.
Tommy Beer provided thorough insight into why the Clutch Player of the Year award is Brunson's to lose during a 2024-25 season in which he's dominated close games.
Fifteen times this season, the Knicks have been in a one-possession game (point differential of three points or less) with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation.
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) March 1, 2025
Over the final 30 seconds of those 15 contests, Jalen Brunson is:
8-of-12 from the floor (66.7%) and
11-of-11…
There's stiff competition for the award, but Brunson is making it abundantly clear that there's no one more reliable late in games than the Knicks' franchise player.
Jalen Brunson the clear favorite to win Clutch Player of the Year
In addition to the points that Beer made, Brunson leads the NBA in clutch points per game. That's an obvious feather in his cap in regard to the competition that exists for an award that aspires to highlight the best late-game player of any given season.
More importantly, it reveals why the Knicks have every reason to believe they can overcome their league-worst three-point defense and still win the championship.
Teams win championships, and there's no possible way around how important the sum of the parts truly is. Almost every title-winner in NBA history, however, had at least one player it could trust to take over when they needed them most.
Brunson hasn't yet reached the championship round, but if the past three seasons were a sign of things to come, then the Knicks are in good hands.
Since 2022, Brunson has compiled postseason averages of 26.5 points, 5.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 1.9 three-point field goals made. He co-starred alongside Luka Doncic during the 2022 playoffs, scoring 24 points in each of the close-out games between the first and second rounds.
If that doesn't have you intrigued, try the fact that he's averaging 31.9 points and 7.1 assists over the course of the Knicks' past three postseason series.
Now establishing himself as the king of the clutch during the regular season, perhaps the Knicks are ready to take the next step. They were an injury-plagued game away from the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 and now have a truly dynamic scoring complement to Brunson in Towns.
If all else fails, then the Knicks can get the ball to the frontrunner for Clutch Player of the Year and trust that he will close out a crucial win.