From the famous words said by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander himself, “I have answers to the test, but I gotta see the questions first.”
While we debate the NBA MVP award every year, it is part of what makes the league great. Now, what can’t be debated is the Clutch Player of the Year. That award should be carved in Gilgeous-Alexander’s name.
It’s just as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says about how the debate among fans and analysts is good for the league.
“It’s good for the league. I think it’s good chatter,” he said.
“It gives people something to talk about. A lot of good players in this league. A lot of guys in the conversation.”
Just as the NBA MVP race is reaching its climax, with Gilgeous-Alexander being at the center of it, the Clutch Player of the Year award undoubtedly belongs to the Thunder’s franchise superstar.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is a Clutch Player
The Oklahoma City Thunder are league-best 61-16 on the 2025-26 season. In the clutch, the Thunder have a 24-10 record, which ranks second in the league, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers at 22-7.
Oklahoma City is averaging the most points per game in the clutch, at 11.5, tying with the Denver Nuggets for the most in the league.
Of all the players that are qualified for clutch time play, SGA leads the league in clutch points per game at 6.5, with a total plus-minus of +93, in that time.
SGA has scored 175 points (most in the NBA), dished out 21 assists, and only committed seven turnovers in 125 minutes with a record of 20-7. While shooting 51.5% from the floor, 35.1% from beyond the arc, and 85.3% at the free-throw line.
Oklahoma City not only has a stabilizer in high-pressure situations but also an historical closer who can be relied on to get them through at the end of games. Take the back-to-back big-time buckets in the final moments against the Denver Nuggets on March 9th, for instance. Acting as their lone bucket getter down the stretch in some of these games, outside the ascension of second-year player Ajay Mitchell. With his No. 2 scoring option, Jalen Williams, missing significant stretches, he has only appeared in 31 games this season.
Over the last two weeks, in particular, SGA has been a dazzling 11-for-11 from the floor in clutch time. He has been the main driving force behind the Thunder’s wins over the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons this past week alone.
With SGA’s most recent signature moment coming on Monday against Detroit, where he scored 11 consecutive points in the clutch, in a 13-point fourth quarter (where he had hit another potential game-winning three, before it was waved off), and eight more points in overtime. This happened the day after, when he scored 10 consecutive points down the stretch in Sunday’s win over the New York Knicks.
While this award is fairly new, having only been around since the 2022-23 season, the previous winners are De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Curry, and Jalen Brunson. At the end of the season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will become the first Thunder player to win Clutch Player of the Year and will add this to his growing resume.
Main Image: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
