It was a nickname that DeMar DeRozan not only embraced last season, but rightfully earned.
“The King in the Fourth’’ finished second to only Joel Embiid in clutch scoring in the 2021-22 campaign, but in the last two minutes of games in which the score was within five points either way, no one was better as the veteran Bulls forward scored 85 points in those situations and shot 53.8% from the field.
DeRozan was the definition of clutch.
And now the crown has been passed.
The NBA announced on Tuesday night that Sacramentos’ De’Aaron Fox was named the Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year, beating out DeRozan and former Bull Jimmy Butler.
It wasn’t really close, either, as Fox finished with 194 total points in clutch situations, followed by DeRozan’s 159 and Butler’s 151. Fox also shot 52.9% from the field in those situations, with DeRozan at 47.1% and Butler at 50.5%.
Fox was also dominant throughout the entire fourth quarter this season, finishing second in total scoring (547 points) in that final stanza to Kyrie Irving (551). DeRozan was third with 497 points. Last season, DeRozan led the league in fourth-quarter scoring, putting up 612 points in 73 games, with Giannis Antetokounmpo finishing behind him with 528 points.
