Stats review: Who are the league's best clutch scorers?

Kevin Punter, Theo Maledon and Kendrick Nunn are among the leaders in clutch scoring this season

With six games remaining in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, the pressure is on as it is make-or-break time throughout the standings. This year has had no shortage of high-pressure moments, and it will be interesting to see if the players who have excelled late in close games to this point are the same ones who shape the final month of the season.

The table above lists this season’s top scorers in clutch situations - possessions in the final 5 minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime where the margin on the scoreboard is no greater than 5 points. Kevin Punter leads all players in clutch scoring by a comfortable margin this season. While Punter is unlikely to match the 87 points scored by Mike James in the clutch last season and Scottie Wilbekin during the 2020-21 campaign, his efficiency has been exceptional; Punter is 8-of-15 from beyond the arc and 16-of-17 at the foul line, which has helped FC Barcelona secure close wins to rise back into the playoff picture.

Opportunity is a factor in this list as LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and Barcelona have played more clutch minutes than any other teams this season. However, it is not everything, as Kendrick Nunn matched Theo Maledon’s clutch output with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens ranking in the middle of the pack. He’s responsible for nearly a third of the Greens' clutch scoring - an incredible feat as Panathinaikos leads the EuroLeague in clutch scoring efficiency among teams.

Isaia Cordinier is an interesting addition to this list, as he is Virtus Segafredo Bologna’s third-leading scorer on the year but has been the focal point of its attack at times late in games. Carsen Edwards and Sylvain Francisco, in contrast, lead their respective teams in scoring and have made shots more steadily in key moments than their numbers suggest, as they have been very effective from the field when they have avoided turnovers.

TJ Shorts and Nadir Hifi are the lone set of teammates on this list due in large part to just how many close games Paris Basketball has played this season. Shorts has been dynamic in midrange spots late in games while Hifi has shot the three well and committed only 2 turnovers closing out games despite his point production. Falling into the Play-in Showdown zone after last week’s result, it will be fascinating to see how the EuroLeague newcomers close out the year as they join a dozen other teams that still have a lot riding on how they close out the season.