The last three Sixth Man awards went to Lou Williams (Toronto Raptors), Jamal Crawford (Los Angeles Clippers) and J.R. Smith (New York Knicks). It’s an award with valuable merit when you consider previous winners such as Lamar Odom (2011), Jason Terry (2009), Manu Ginobili (2008), and James Harden (2012), some of whom were tasked with leading the offensive charge of respected second units on championship teams.
This season has been one of interesting parody when it comes to the Sixth Man of the Year. It hasn’t felt like any one candidate is necessarily running away with it. Of course, in order to win the award, the player had to come off the bench in more games than they started. We know from the last 20 years that the winner of the award is going to be on a playoff team. Plenty of names have been tied in, though.
- New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson has built a case with 7 starts in 66 games, averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds in 30 minutes per game. Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday started 23 out of 65 games and averages just under 17 points along with six assists. Both would have stronger cases if the Pelicans had a better season.
- Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson has 31 starts in 74 games and is averaging 8 points and 9 rebounds in 28 minutes per game. Thompson’s body of work simply isn’t impressive enough to compete.
- Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, the 2015 Finals MVP, warrants deserved consideration as one of the league’s forefront reserves. He averages 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 26 minutes per game and shoots 48 percent from the field, but Iguodala’s do-it-all impact on the best team in basketball is beyond his numbers, and could easily make him a finalist for the award.
- Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner and Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin, both double-digit scorers for their respective teams off the bench, intriguingly crept into the conversation at points during the season.
Taking all things into account, I have three finalists for the 2016 Sixth Man of the Year.
3. Will Barton
Despite being on a losing team, Will Barton just wrapped up an official breakout season in Denver as instant offense off the bench. The Nuggets were a bad team this season but Barton was a bright spot, averaging a career-best 14.9 points along with 5.6 rebounds in 28 minutes per game. Barton started once out of 76 games played this season.
The money month for Barton was in December when he averaged just over 20 points and 6 rebounds in 15 games. Barton scored in double figures in every game that month, which was part of a 19-game consecutive streak of scoring in double figures. That 15-game span in December included two 30+ point games against New Orleans and Portland. Denver’s biggest win of the season came the following month when they handed the Golden State Warriors one of their seven losses this season. Barton had 21 points (7-of-11 shooting) and 6 rebounds in 26 minutes of action in the win against Golden State. It was one of Barton’s five 20+ point scoring games in January.
Barton’s campaign might make him more eligible for Most Improved, but in the case of Sixth Man of the Year, the state of his team does lessen his value. Even so, I gave him the edge over Andre Iguodala as a finalist because his body of work this season suggests a formidable emergence as a scoring threat off the bench in the league.
2. Enes Kanter
Kanter’s presence off the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder isn’t just an important component to their team, it’s necessary for their success. In 20 minutes per game he averages 12 points and 8 rebounds. As the Thunder’s most capable scoring big man, Kanter has maintained a double-digit scoring average and a positive +/- every month of the 2015-16 season, the only one of Oklahoma City’s reserves to do so.
OKC is more productive when Kanter is productive. In the Thunder’s 23 losses, Kanter’s average drops to 9.8 points, but in their 53 wins he’s up to 13.5 points on 58 percent shooting. Oklahoma City also rebounds the ball better with Kanter on the floor. The second-best team in the league in that area is +5 in offensive rebounding percentage with Kanter on the floor, as he grabs three offensive boards per game.
OKC scores 108.9 points per 100 possessions with Kanter on the floor, but they also give up 106 per 100 when he’s on the floor, just a few points above their average. Billy Donovan could be stalling Kanter to play bigger minutes in the playoffs because of his production. Kanter’s Player Efficiency Rating (23.95) is just outside of the top ten in the league, trailing the likes of DeMarcus Cousins, James Harden, and Anthony Davis. He’s been a consistent motor for the Thunder off the bench and clearly deserves recognition.
1. Jamal Crawford
Leave it to Jamal Crawford to be the only 36-year-old capable of beating out some 20-somethings to win this award. Now in his 16th season, this is Crawford’s fourth year as the go-to scoring punch off the bench for the Clippers, who are currently the sixth-best bench scoring team in the NBA (37.5 points per game).
Crawford continues to be the offensive crutch for the Clippers off the bench, especially when things break down. He’s essentially the backup playmaker behind Chris Paul, making more things happen with the basketball in his hands than any other Clipper wing. This season he’s gotten better with time. Jamal Crawford went from averaging 11.3 points per game in December, to 15.6 in January, to 19.5 in February. In the Clippers 47 wins, Crawford is averaging 15 points on 42 percent shooting with a +7 plus/minus. Crawford’s averages drop to 11 points and 33 percent shooting and -5.9 in the Clippers’ 27 losses.
From the start of January to March 4, Jamal Crawford and Jrue Holiday were the only two bench players in the NBA averaging at least 17 points per game while shooting 43 percent or better. The Clippers are 39-14 when Crawford scores in double figures and 8-13 when he doesn’t. While his across the board stats and percentages don’t jump out, Crawford’s steady and threatening hand as the league’s top scorer off the bench earns him the right to make history as the only player to win Sixth Man of the Year three times in his career.
