The 10 Most Clutch Scorers in the NBA Right Now

The biggest games often come down to the final minute. Think back to the end of Game 7 during the 2016 NBA Finals. With the Warriors and Cavs tied at 89, Kyrie Irving hit Steph Curry with the shake-and-bake before stepping back to drill an absolute dagger of a three. The shot will long live on in Cleveland lore. Talk about clutch.

Of course, LeBron James’s chase-down block of Andre Iguodala, which preceded that jumper, was equally clutch—but we’re not here today to talk about defense. We’re here to talk about offense. This one’s for the scorers, the bucket-getters, the stone-cold killers who live to hit the big shots with the clock winding down; with everyone watching; with legacies hanging in the balance.

The guys on this list have more than scoring ability. They have mental fortitude, a psychological edge few athletes possess. They have what the great Bill Raftery refers to as "Onions!"

Without further ado, here are the 10 most clutch scorers in the NBA today.

Honorable Mentions: Luka Doncic, Jamal Crawford, D’Angelo Russell, Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Rose

PG-13 entered this season with a reputation for falling through in the clutch, but he has been slowly bucking that bad rap. He's hit two notable game-winners this season, including one four-point play in the final seconds to lift the Thunder over Jimmy Butler and the 76ers in January.

PAUL GEORGE 4-POINT PLAY FOR THE WIN! @okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/A5fq9bM3Ez

— NBA (@NBA) January 19, 2019

George has 138 Clutch Time points this season, good for fifth in the league and more than Russell Westbrook's 110, despite Westbrook taking 94 shots to George's 91. George has been efficient and especially effective at getting to the line, attempting 61 free throws and making 55 of them. He has fallen behind the two MVP frontrunners in James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but George deserves to at least be mentioned in the conversation, and his late-game success is a big reason he belongs there.

So, who you got for MVP: The Beard or the Greek Freak? Giannis might get the edge because of the Bucks’ regular-season dominance, but there’s no question Harden has been the most dominant offensive player—and the most clutch player—in the NBA this season. In January, with the Warriors and Rockets locked in a battle and GSW up 134-132 in OT, Harden hit an impossible three over Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

He leads the league in total clutch scoring with 187 points, and he's gone to the line an insane 91 times in Clutch Time, making nearly 30 more visits than the No. 2 guy on that list (Kemba). Harden is also hitting 82.4 percent of his free throws in those key moments.

He isn’t quite at the top of this list, though, because he hasn’t proven himself in key moments in the playoffs. His numbers in the postseason are...not good. It seems he just needs one breakthrough performance to boost his confidence in the biggest setting. Could we see it this year?

Russ averaged his third straight triple-double season. Can we pause for a moment to think about how insane that is? Yes, his rebounding numbers are inflated, but the thought of a player averaging a triple-double for an entire season once seemed impossible—and he’s done it three times!

It’s clear Brodie affects every aspect of the game, and he’s proven himself adept at scoring in big moments, both with Kevin Durant and Paul George beside him.

Lord knows Russ wants every shot when the game is on the line, but he’s shown leadership in occasionally deferring to George. In 2016-17, Russ attempted 62 Clutch Squared shots (shots crucial to game outcome, like buzzer-beaters). In 2017-18, that number dipped to 41. This year, it's 29, with George taking 24 of his own.

Russ will never be the most efficient scorer, but nobody wants to win more than him, and he’s simply fearless and lives for the Big Shot. If you’re on his team, you have the utmost confidence that he’ll deliver in the waning moments.

The Warriors won the 2017 Finals in five games, yes, but that series could have looked different if it weren't for some heroics from KD in Game 3. With Cleveland up by two in the final minute of that matchup, Durant grabbed a rebound, dribbled to the other end of the court, and hit the biggest shot of his career, raining a three in LeBron’s grill.

That was definitely the most iconic moment of Durant’s career, but he has a long history of hitting big shots. One of many examples: As a young blood in the 2012 playoffs, he hit a huge J in front of Metta World Peace to lead his Thunder over Kobe Bryant's Lakers.

Late in games, Durant does his best work far from the basket; during Clutch Time in last year's playoffs, his average shot distance made was 22 feet, a far cry from Giannis’ three feet, LeBron’s 10 feet, or even Steph Curry’s 12 feet. With his 7’ frame, no one is keeping the Durantula from getting his shot off when he wants to, so stopping him is an impossible task.

The best shooter in NBA history is even better in clutch situations. Curry has hit countless ice-cold jumpers late in games, but he's also proficient at scoring in the paint in such situations. The little guy ain’t scared of the trees. For example, with OKC leading the Warriors 3-2 in the 2016 West Finals, Curry clinched the win for GSW with a running bank shot, and he and Klay Thompson absolutely took over in the final five minutes of that game.

Curry was even amazing in the 2015-16 postseason (when the Warriors collapsed and Cavs pulled off the 3-1 comeback) despite being banged up. In those playoffs, Curry’s numbers were up across the board in Clutch Time. His FG percentage increased by .11, his 3-point percentage increased by .17, and his free throw percentage increased by .09. What makes that so impressive? His regular season averages were above 50-40-90.

All his numbers are up in Clutch Time again this season. This is the No. 1 guy you don’t want to foul late; he’s hit 96 percent of his free throw attempts with the game on the line. The Warriors have an unfair 1-2 punch late in games with KD and Curry, and Klay deserves an honorable mention as well.