The NBA announced today that Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has won the inaugural Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award. Fox won with in a landslide with 91 of the 100 first-place votes.
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@swipathefox becomes the inaugural winner of the Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year award ???? pic.twitter.com/APJdN7ToyE— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 18, 2023
Fox has always had a knack for hitting shots in big moments, but this season he took his game to another level. The NBA defines “the clutch” as a game that’s within 5 points with 5 or fewer minutes left. The Kings found themselves in that scenario in 44 games this season and finished with a 25-19 record, in large part because of Fox’s heroics.
Fox led the entire NBA in clutch scoring with 194 points, 35 more than 2nd place DeMar DeRozan. He also shot a ridiculous 52.9% from the field and 86% from the line in the clutch, both better than his season averages. Fox also finished 2nd overall in 4th Quarter Points with 547, only four behind league leader Kyrie Irving.
Every fanbase hopes for a star who steps up when it matters and carries the team home, and Fox has proven himself to be that kind of star all season long. This is a well deserved honor for De’Aaron, and likely not the only one he’ll receive before the season is over.
He’s him.
Congratulations, Mr Fox! Take a bow…
“Who was the first winner of the Jerry West Clutch Award?” will make a great trivia question in ten years that Kings fans will smash.
Will be too easy for any fan to answer, as Fox will be receiving his 10th CPOY in a row at that time.
The only winner ever.
If he’s ever able to be Clutch Fox throughout a game, then whoa…
Wait, wait…why is everyone praising Fox? I thought this board told me that Haliburton with Lou Gehrig’s disease is better than Fox? And Fox is a negative asset and basically a poor man’s Keldon Johnson?
this board also told me Sports fans are wrong most of the time and the only people who can’t grasp this are teenage boys.
Fox has also severely improved. Haliburton looked like he was the player to keep when traded, so there’s that.
He finally got great coaching and complementary players around him.
Tyrese Wholiburton?
Win-Win trade.
Kings are winning, and Pacers get to enjoy an extended offseason vacation.
Win win.
COTY and CPOTY. Next!
Also ExOTY and All-NBA teams. Next.
But 2nd Round of the playoffs first.
Finals MVP would be a nice trophy
I’m not sure why Fox isn’t also in the conversation for MIP. His leap, in year 6, is a bit unprecedented.
The first clutch thing I remember Fox doing after he got here was flying through the lane and crushing a putback dunk, against, IIRC, Miami. Or whoever.
It’s tough to be clutch when you’re always down fifteen in the fourth quarter. Fox knows who he is, and he’s earned the hardware.
You´re telling me 9 out of 100 people voted for somebody else?
Rigged.
He took such a leap this year by improving his jump shot. He had all the other tools. It went from “we should’ve traded Fox not Halliburton” to Fox being a superstar.
I love Fox and Hali but Monty kept the right one.
I think keeping Hali would have been as good (have you seen him w Indy? Huge impact in team wins). but it’s that the Kings got Sabonis and Fox blossomed. In part because of Sabonis maybe.
And I love what Fox has become. The deadly Kawahi mid range was massive.
The difference is that Fox can take over a game. Hali can but not as much
Not arguing against the trade, and never have, but I have enjoyed seeing Ty being more aggressive near the rim, and not contorting himself to avoid contact. That was one of the few negatives of his game, given his ability to make free throws. He’s going to be great. That said…
Sabonis>Halliburton
Hopefully this means we won’t be spending another off-season debating whether he’s an actual NBA superstar, or just an ordinary, run-of-the=mill NBA star. Hee hee.
Congrats De’Aaron! I’m off to London if about 25 minutes, and will very tired and jet lagged because I can’t sleep on planes!
Pop a Benadryl and a beer. Sleepy time awaits.
*Note, this is not my everyday advice, its just a go to for long flights because I too can’t sleep on planes.
Don’t pop a Benadryl during the next playoff game, tho!
Rightly deserved! Incredibly fun to watch DeAaron operate under pressure.
Congratulations De’Aaron, you deserved this award and whoever didn’t vote for you doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.
Draymond Green is suspended for game 3. I won’t miss him ????
https://twitter.com/nbapr/status/1648531506736840707?s=46&t=LRRFdoSPcReEZERgnElWRA
I’m sure his post incident professionalism factored into this decision.
What ‘incident’?
According to Draymond, he was savagely bullied by not only Malik monk in game 1, but then by Sabonis who snuck up on him from underneath and twisted his ankle nearly to the point of ligament rupture.
He could not, in any possible way, continue his body’s momentum in the forward motion it was progressing in; and therefore had to gently and lightly bring a small portion of his toe down on Domas in order to not completely topple to the ground and sustain a horrendous injury.
At least, this is how I am told to interpret the scene by the media.
according to his buddy klank, he was running full speed and DS grabbed his ankle- what was he to do?
Unfortunately trading Draymoron out for DS out is not a fair trade. How about Holmes for stephie?
Come on now, maybe Klay was right. He could have been running at full speed. Maybe Draymond is just old and slow.
I’m enjoying that our team doesn’t need to use antics to win and any retaliation would really put a stain on this postseason run.
Yeah, Thompson must be the first person in history that’s suffered a leg injury that ruined his eyesight.
https://twitter.com/james_hamnba/status/1648547206465572865?s=46&t=LRRFdoSPcReEZERgnElWRA
Shit. Wonder how bad? Those can be very painful and could alter his game, if he’s playing.
Likely to play?
Ron Artest > Draymond Green
he is HIM
HIM > he
Am I doing this right?
“Probably my wife. (Pause) Definitely my wife.”
Another clutch save by Fox.
Doug Christie coached him well on this!
Congratulations Mr. Fox. The entire Kingdom is proud of you. Now go slay the dynasty and start one of your own.
Well deserved!
Badge Legend