The Sacramento Kings have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2022-23 NBA season. After years of misery, the Kings are now not only one of the most exciting teams in the league, but they have also been a playoff-caliber team with a 20-16 record. Looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2006, the Kings will only go as far as De'Aaron Fox takes them.

And if De'Aaron Fox continues to cement himself as the league's true clutch king, then there's no telling just how far the Kings could go.

On Tuesday night, Fox was back to his stone-cold exploits late in the game. Swipa scored 22 of his 37 points on the night in the payoff period, and he ended up sinking the go-ahead layup, much to the Utah Jazz's collective heartbreak. And in so doing, he improved his already elite clutch stats. (Clutch time is defined as the minutes where the scoring margin between opponents is five points or less, with five minutes or less left in the fourth quarter.)

De'Aaron Fox was 5-5 in the clutch against the Jazz; on the season, the 25-year old point guard is shooting 62.5 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from deep, and 83.3 percent from the foul line with the game in the balance, per Will Zimmerle of ESPN 1320. And Fox hasn't done so at meager volume. In fact, Swipa leads the league in total clutch field goals, with 35, stamping his class in the clutch with the perfect blend of volume and efficiency.

This season, the 25-year old is playing like he's a man on a mission to break the Kings' longstanding playoff drought. Him and Domantas Sabonis just work so well together. And there's no reason to expect Fox to slow down anytime soon as he approaches the prime years of his career.

And who knows? Maybe he could even take home the NBA's inaugural Jerry West Clutch Player of the Year award in the process.