Stats experts contend there is no consistent clutch player across sports; players who excel in buzzer situations tend to perform similarly throughout games. Analysts selected one player from each WNBA team as the preferred final-shot taker based on clutch opportunities, scoring versatility, and shooting efficiency. Selections weigh late-game scoring totals, field-goal and three-point percentages, and historical performance in close-game scenarios. Example selections include Gray, a 6-foot guard averaging 18.8 points, shooting 45.1% overall and 39.6% from three, with 44 clutch points and 46.4% shooting in clutch scenarios. Other choices reflect team strategies and situational difficulty.
Stats experts contend there's no such thing as a consistent clutch player in any sport. Players who come up big at the buzzer or final whistle are typically the ones who do it at any time of the game. But anecdotes and memories stick with us. And in those make-or-break moments, we know who we want to take that shot.
A 6-foot guard, Gray can score in many ways: driving to the rim, hitting a pull-up jump shot, making a backdoor cut for a layup and nailing a 3-pointer. She could always do it all, but now she's having the best season of her WNBA career, averaging 18.8 points and shooting 45.1% from the field and 39.6% from behind the arc.
There haven't been many clutch opportunities this season for the Sky (9-28). Atkins, their leading scorer in the final five minutes of games within five points, ranks 26th in the WNBA with 26 points. Although Chicago's offense is typically built around the high-low duo of frontcourt stars Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese, such sets are more difficult to execute against late-game pressure. As a result, the Sky would probably put the ball in the hands of the versatile Atkins, a two-time All-Star
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