Each NBA team’s most clutch player of all-time
Most clutch player in New Orleans Pelicans history: Anthony Davis
Every so often a player comes around who is a franchise-defining talent, a star of such magnitude that he raises a team just by his presence. Fans, team employees and teammates in New Orleans watched Anthony Davis grow from transcendent talent to dominant superstar.
Offensively Davis could score in the paint or beyond the arc, throwing down lob passes or flipping in hook shots. Defensively his massive wingspan and quick reflexes resulted in a devastating rim protector who could also move onto the perimeter when necessary. In clutch situations, Davis has the tools to make the needed play on offense or defense in a way few others in NBA history can. While the Lakers have seen him show up in clutch moments most recently, he first became a clutch player with the Pelicans, stepping up when they needed him the most.
Key Moment: The 2015 season was the first in Anthony Davis’ career where the New Orleans Pelicans were in playoff contention, and ultimately they made the postseason with a Game 82 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Davis was dominant in that game, hanging 31 and 13 on the Spurs. The root of their playoff berth, however, dates back to earlier in the year.
In a February game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Pelicans were tied up with 1.2 seconds remaining. Davis, at this point in his career primarily an inside player, catches the ball well outside the 3-point line and elevates to shoot. The defense was right on him, with Kevin Durant’s long arms stretching into his air space. This forced Davis to double clutch and then after hanging in the air for a moment fling the ball towards the rim — a shot that went in and gave the Pelicans the victory.
The win not only gave the Pelicans another tally mark in that column, but it also gave New Orleans the tiebreaker over the Thunder. This turned out to be crucial at the end of the season when the Pelicans finished at 45-37, the same record as the Thunder. New Orleans qualified for its first postseason on the tiebreaker and the Thunder were forced to stay home.