Since landing in New York three years ago, Jalen Brunson has quickly grown into the absolute core of the Knicks. Now, his performance in the key moments has finally been officially recognized and he won the 2025 NBA "Clutch Player of the Year" award.

In an interview with TNT's "Inside the NBA" on Wednesday night, Brunson talked about how he became a clutch player: "Some people are born with it, but I learned it step by step. Since high school, I have been learning how to stand up in the clutch moments. As the level of the game has improved, I have also been constantly improving. Today, I am the result of this journey."

This season, Brunson's clutch-time numbers are elite. He averaged 5.6 points per game in games officially defined as "clutch" (the score difference is within 5 points in the last five minutes of the game), the highest in the league, and shot 51% from the field. The Knicks have won 61% of their clutch games, fifth in the league.

Brunson said: "The value of the key ball lies in whether you win the game in the end. The performance at the critical moment is meaningless if you can't win. For me, victory is always the most important."

In this vote, Brunson received 98 of the 100 votes, including 70 first-place votes, and unsurprisingly defeated Denver Nuggets star Jokic (26 first-place votes) and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards to win the championship.

In the first round of the playoffs between the Knicks and the Pistons, Brunson led the team to a 21-0 super attack wave in the fourth quarter, personally demonstrating what a "key player" is. The series is currently tied 1-1, and when looking forward to the third game, he said: "We didn't start well in the first two games, allowing the opponent to play with momentum. In the third game, we must seize the initiative. They are in too good a state, and we can't be slow to warm up again."