Kings star De’Aaron Fox wins first-ever NBA Clutch Player of the Year award
Sacramento Kings star point guard DeAaron Fox has guided the franchise back to the playoffs in nearly two decades.
Fox’s breakout campaign has earned him much-deserved recognition for his individual play beyond his first-career All-Star game selection. The sixth-year guard received the NBA’s inaugural Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year Award.
Fox ran away with the honor after receiving 91 out of the possible 100 first-place votes. He took home the award over Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler and Chicago Bulls forward/guard DeMar DeRozan.
The 25-year-old led the league with 194 total points in clutch scoring that propelled him to average a team-best 25.0 points per game.
“You can’t be afraid to fail,” Fox said on the TNT broadcast of the announcement via ESPN. “Obviously, you’re not going to make every shot, but my teammates, my coaches, they put me in position to succeed. So the least I can do is have confidence in myself to take good shots.”
Fox has developed into one of the NBA’s top guards behind his stellar scoring and playmaking. He has been the driving force for the Kings’ push toward securing the third overall seed in the Western Conference playoff seeding.
Want $250 to bet on NBA futures?
Beyond that, Fox has helped push Sacramento to a 2-0 first-round series lead over the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. He has poured in key late-game buckets that have put his team in a promising spot.
Fox and the Kings will look to move a step closer toward moving to the second round on the road on Thursday night.
