Jimmy Butler is clutch.
Duh, right? Well, we’re not just talking his last two clutch performances where he buried threes to give the Sixers wins in Charlotte and Brooklyn. Turns out, he’s actually been the most clutch player in the NBA the past five seasons.
Our national NBA insider Tom Haberstroh found that Butler is first in the NBA in win probability in the clutch over that span, per inpredictable.com.
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Win probability measures how each player's contributions added or subtracted to their team's chances of winning. It’s based on a player’s missed shots, made shots, turnovers and free throws. Win probability in the clutch is simply those factors in clutch situations.
While Butler’s status atop the league over the last half decade makes sense, two of his current teammates are in the top 10 this season. There’s no surprise that Joel Embiid, who is having an MVP-caliber season, comes in at No. 9.
The other Sixer comes in at No. 1 in the entire NBA and it may surprise you: JJ Redick. Redick comes in ahead of two of the East’s top performers this season in Kemba Walker and Blake Griffin.
So according to this metric, the Sixers have three of the most clutch players in the league. These numbers are obviously not the be-all end-all to measure basketball players. The fact that the Sixers have played a ton of close games is a factor as well.
NBA
But it’s impressive nonetheless.
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