“Joel Embiid is the most clutch player in the NBA”: How the Sixers All-Star has scored the most points in the NBA in crunch time

Joel Embiid has scored the most points in clutch-time situations for the Philadelphia 76ers than any other player in the NBA. 

Daryl Morey stuck with his promise of getting the Philadelphia 76ers a superstar to pair with Joel Embiid in place of Ben Simmons and actually did it. Despite being heavily criticized for playing the waiting game, getting James Harden was all worth it in the end as the Embiid-Harden duo has looked quite unstoppable in the limited minutes they’ve played. 

Before James’s arrival in Philly, Embiid was shouldering quite the offensive load, carrying the Sixers to a respectable, well above .500 record to stay afloat in the loaded Eastern Conference. His stellar play has placed him firmly in the MVP conversation for the second straight season.

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One aspect of Embiid’s game that doesn’t get talked about enough is his ability to generate points on the board any way he can. He’s a severely underrated passer and almost everybody knows of his innate ability to get to the free throw stripe, where he shoots 78% from in crunch time. 

Joel Embiid has scored the most points in the clutch this NBA season. 

While Joel Embiid may not be the best late-game free throw shooter, he’s quite literally the best scorer in the league when it comes down to the wire. Clutch time is described as when the game is within 5 points of reach for either team with 5 or less minutes to play in the game. 

Embiid has scored the most total points over the season during this time, amassing 131 points in 26 clutch situations this season. DeMar DeRozan is second in this list, behind Joel by only 7 points but has played in7 more games than the him.

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The Sixers have a decent 16-10 record in those 26 games and Joel Embiid shots an absurd 45% from beyond the arc and 50.6% from the field in clutch-time. 

It’s safe to say that with both James Harden and Joel Embiid being the late-game savants that they are, the Eastern Conference is in for quite the ride come Playoff time.