5 Most Clutch NBA Players so Far This Season

When the game clock is running down and the score is close, teams need their players to come through in the clutch with either a stop on the defensive end or a bucket on the offensive side. So who's been among the most cold-blooded in the NBA os far this season?

5. Joel Embiid

While Embiid has only played in 18 games this season in the clutch, he's been virtually unstoppable when he's on the court. He's tied for seventh in rebounding, fifth in points, owns plus/minus of +25, and sports otherworldly shooting splits of 56.8/41.7/91.2. Embiid has been a rare player who can get a bucket when needed, then follow it up with a huge defensive stop, as he proved against the Celtics on Dec. 13.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been amazing in clutch for the 23-18 Thunder. He grabs a lot of rebounds for a guard, his seven steals are second-most in the clutch this season, and his shooting splits of 67.6/40/82.6 in crunch time are arguably the best in the NBA. No wonder Gilgeous-Alexander is fourth in the league in plus/minus in the clutch with a +57.

3. Lou Williams

Due to the Clippers' dominance, Williams has not had much time to shine in the clutch, but when the Clippers have needed him, he has been there. He has shot 46.7/50/90 during crunch time, scoring 43 points and dishing out 11 assists in just 56 minutes. Perhaps most importantly, the team is 11-5 in games LouWill plays meaningful minutes with the game on the line.

2. Nikola Jokic

Jokic is not a player who appears to be clutch. However, he's been incredible this season for the Nuggets during the most important part of the game. He's grabbed the seventh-most rebounds, dished out the fourth-most assists, and scored the fourth-most point in the clutch, leading his team to a 16-8 record in those games. Even more impressively, he is doing it on 57.1/50/87 shooting splits.

1. Chris Paul

Paul has been incredible this season in the clutch, having huge games against the Nets, Mavs and Lakers, among others. He has played in the most clutch games of anyone this season, with a net rating of 22.2 and usage rate of 31.3%, which has led him to a plus/minus of +54. CP3 has the most points in the clutch (103) in the entire league, and is shooting 54.5/36.8/96. Who said he didn't have anything left in the tank?