Clutch stats show Nikola Jokic at his best when games matter most

At this point, there aren’t many areas of his game that Nikola Jokic can still improve upon. Every season he comes back better than before with new tweaks and improvements. Once upon a time, there were clear weaknesses but most of those have been extinguished at this point. 

One of the many things that Jokic has quietly cleaned up and excelled at over recent years has been his performance in the clutch. When people think about crunch time in the modern NBA, they think about ball-dominant guards or wings, lead ballhandlers who can pressure a defense from the perimeter, create shots for themselves and others, and get to the basket.

That’s certainly not a description that fits Jokic. If anything, those traits sound more like Jamal Murray, or even Michael Porter Jr. at this point. But the Nuggets aren’t a typical team and Jokic isn’t a typical player.

They run their clutch time offense through their superstar center, allowing Jokic to put his team in position to get the best shots. But this year, the Nuggets have been relying on the Joker for scoring more than ever. His points and shot attempts are through the roof - mostly out of necessity - and that has carried over to end-of-game situations.

Jokic leads NBA in clutch points this season

Those watching can certainly see that Jokic has been taking over and dominating in the clutch this season, but it’s nice to see the stats loudly back up the eye test. Joker is currently leading the entire league in clutch points with 76 on the season. De’Aaron Fox of the Kings is second with 70 clutch points and nobody else in the league has more than 58.

There are currently only 8 players in the NBA who have even reached 50 clutch points. Making it even more impressive, of those eight players, Jokic not only has the most points, he also has the highest field goal percentage in the clutch making 53.1% of his baskets.

Clutch time in the NBA is defined as any point in a game with under 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter or overtime when the game is within a 5-point margin. The combination of Jokic’s scoring output and efficiency in these moments is ridiculous.

It’s also wild to see that every other player with more than 50 clutch points is a guard or primary ballhandler type. Everything about Jokic continues to defy logic and this is just another example. There are very few holes to poke in his game and anyone who thinks his stats empty should take a look at these clutch numbers and see how he is influencing winning in the biggest moments.