Late in a close game, it becomes tougher for NBA players to generate quality shots. League-wide effective field goal percentage this NBA season was 54.6%. In crunch time, defined as the last five minutes of a game when the score margin is five points or less, that efficiency fell to 50.1%.
That’s when superstars come in. The New York Knicks don’t just have one of the best crunch time scorers in the league in Jalen Brunson—they have, statistically, perhaps the best crunch time scorer in modern NBA playoff history.
The Knicks have leaned heavily on Brunson in clutch moments. Among all NBA players, Brunson ranks third in crunch-time scoring rate in the regular season since he joined the Knicks, scoring more than a point per minute. The two players ahead of him on that list are two-time MVP Steph Curry and reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Directly behind him is three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Furthermore, Brunson’s efficiency from the field was the fifth-best out of the 25 players who attempted the most crunch time shots in that span.
Brunson won the NBA’s recently added Clutch Player of the Year award in 2025, so he has been recognized for his ability to come through for New York under pressure. But his clutch performance has reached historic heights in the playoffs.
