NBA Clutch Player of the Year Odds: Curry Overtakes DeRozan Late

Few things in sports are as thrilling as the back-and-forth brawl of a close NBA game in the fourth quarter, and the league decided to crown its best crunch-time performer by introducing the Clutch Player of the Year award last season.

Now, what exactly constitutes a "clutch" player can take on many definitions, but Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox swiftly swiped the inaugural trophy after comfortably leading these NBA odds for months. 

After being retired early at many books last season, we saw this relatively new NBA futures market evolve differently in 2023-24. The Clutch Player of the Year odds were more of a contest, and two late-game gunners were in a close race when the markets closed at the regular season's end.

Odds to win NBA Clutch Player of the Year

Player	Team
Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors	-155	-150	-150
DeMar DeRozan	Chicago Bulls	+120	+110	+110
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	Oklahoma City Thunder	+2,800	+2,900	+3,000
Damian Lillard	Milwaukee Bucks	+8,000	+10,000	+10,000

*Off the board — selection not available
Market closed — odds listed as of last update.    

Favorite to win NBA Clutch Player of the Year

Stephen Curry (-150 to -155)

With the Golden State Warriors battling all sorts of inconsistency this season — from Klay Thompson's signs of decline, to Andrew Wiggins' nebulous nonchalance, to Draymond Green's inability to stop assaulting people — this team's success has become increasingly propped up on Stephen Curry's brilliance. 

This has been particularly true in clutch games, of which Curry's played a league-high 41. He's currently tied with DeMar DeRozan for the league lead in clutch scoring, shooting a blistering 50% from the floor and 46% from 3-point range.

It's entirely plausible that without Curry's brilliance in those games, Golden State could be on the outside of the play-in picture looking in, making it fair to say that he's very literally saved their season. 

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Understanding NBA Clutch Player of the Year odds 

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. We'll use last year's CPOY race as an example: 

As the season progressed, with Fox having been a huge favorite, his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number: 

• De'Aaron Fox -500

This means that a bettor needs to wager $500 to win $100. Other candidates with worse odds would have a plus (+) sign ahead of the number. Early in the season, before any clear favorite is established, betting options will be listed as such: 

• Luka Doncic +650

Here, a bettor stands to profit $650 for every $100 wagered. 

If American odds aren't your thing, simply use our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

How is Clutch Player of the Year decided?

Like the rest of the NBA's awards, Clutch Player of the Year is voted on by a panel of 100 media personnel at the conclusion of the regular season. Players are chosen based on varied criteria including:

Number of clutch games played

A clutch game is defined (for this award's context) as a game that is within five points with five or fewer minutes remaining. If a player's team has been involved in a disproportionately high number of these games, voters may give their performances more weight across the wider sample.

Record in clutch games

Of course, it matters how the candidate's team performed in those games, and if they came away with more than their share of wins, that looks impressive on a resume come ballot time. 

Stats recorded in clutch time

Maybe the most important is what the player personally does to ensure his team gets the clutch win — fourth-quarter scoring is of particular importance, but all clutch stats will factor into a sound voting process.

Key or memorable plays

Intangible moments can also hold weight in a close race: A memorable highlight or game-winner that resonated in the season's zeitgeist will help a candidate, as will a huge performance in a win against a big rival, or to seal a win in a tight race for playoff seeding.

Past Clutch Player of the Year Winners

It's a pretty exclusive list...

NBA Clutch Player of the Year betting trends

Since Clutch Player of the Year was a new award introduced for 2023, there isn't much in the way of trends for bettors to dive into. 

NBA Clutch Player of the Year FAQ

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