The shoe fits and De’Aaron Fox is wearing it.
The star Kings guard was crowned the NBA’s first clutch player of the year — and his 26 fourth-quarter points so far in the postseason back it up.
The 25-year-old beat veteran scorers DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler in impressive fashion with 91 first-place votes.
The recognition is timely as the All-Star guard has led his team to a 2-0 lead against the defending champion Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.
In Game 1 vs. the Warriors, Fox scored 15 points in the fourth quarter and had an 11-point showing in his final quarter in Game 2 — including a back-breaking trey in a 114–106 victory.
“I think it brought us together,” Fox said after the win. “We came together and were like, ‘We’ve got to win this game.’ Everyone thought he would be kicked out. When that happens, usually that team gets together and runs. But we were able to reject it. “
But that’s nothing new for Fox, who has basically been the king of the clutch all season.
“Clutch time” is defined as “the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points”. According to the league.
He led the NBA this season with 194 points on 72 field goals in clutch time as well as 103 points in the final three minutes of three-point games as well as three game-winners.
His fourth quarter performance was just as good, averaging 7.8 points in the final quarter with 547 total points.
“You can’t be afraid to fail,” Fox said on the TNT broadcast of the announcement. “Obviously, you’re not going to make every shot, but my teammates, my coaches, they put me in a position to be successful. So the least I can do is trust myself to take good shots.
It’s been a breakout season for Fox with a career-best 51.2 field goal percentage.
He averaged 25 points and 6.1 assists this season en route to his playoff debut.
If Fox continues to summon his clutch genes, his first playoff run could be a legacy-defining moment for his young career.
