The Golden State Warriors’ 2023-24 season was hardly a memorable one for the franchise, but they’ll at least be able to claim one award winner after Stephen Curry was voted Clutch Player of the Year.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/Stephen-Curry-a250a7b0a1a14109a476f9454e2d9fed.jpg)
Curry is just the second player to win the award — named after legendary Laker Jerry West — with Sacramento Kings’ guard De’Aaron Fox having won the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year last season.
Stephen Curry has helped salvaged something from the Golden State Warriors’ season after a disappointing year for the franchise
The two-time MVP beat out fellow finalists DeMar DeRozan and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with Curry (189) and DeRozan (182) edging well clear of third-ranked Damian Lillard (139) in total clutch points this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s remarkable 58.1% shooting in the clutch made him a worthy candidate, but Curry was ultimately rewarded for his sheer volume while also shooting 49.6% from the floor, 45.7% from three-point range and 95.1% from free-throw line.
CLUTCH CURRY.
Congratulations @stephencurry30 on being named 2023-24 Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year đ pic.twitter.com/AjopBEDWUt
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 25, 2024
Curry had a number of incredibly clutch shots throughout the season, starting with his game-winning layup in an overtime victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 3. His high arcing three over Derrick White in an overtime win against the Boston Celtics on January 19 was also a major highlight, while few could forget his go-ahead three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left on the clock against the Phoenix Suns on February 10.
Having completed his 15th NBA season and at 36-year-old, Curry continues to be the go-to guy for Steve Kerr in all the big moments. As much as the lack of support for the 10-time All-Star was a hindrance to Golden State’s season, the team’s reliance on Curry may have actually aided his push for Clutch Player of the Year.
Curry was unsurprisingly the only Warrior player to be nominated as a finalist for one of the major individual awards, with the franchise having finished tenth in a season that never reached the heights of what they’d aspired to reach.
