NBA: Top 10 Candidates For Sixth Man Of The Year Award In 2016-17

Mar 6, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) keeps a ball in bound against Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Thunder beat the Bucks 104-96. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

10 of 11

Mar 28, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (3) goes to the basket past Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) in the third quarter at Target Center. The Timberwolves win 121-116. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Brandon Knight

Like Monroe, Brandon Knight‘s standing in this category really depends on whether he accepts his new bench role. Both players have a fair amount of pride, and neither figures to take their demotions lightly. Being benched for a 19-year-old — even one as promising as Devin Booker — is yet another blow to this 24-year-old’s self-esteem.

You have to feel for Knight. He was abruptly traded from Milwaukee in the middle of a career year, he had to adjust to sharing the backcourt with Eric Bledsoe, and injuries plus Booker’s unexpected rise made it impossible to find traction with the Phoenix Suns or their fan base.

But to be perfectly honest, Knight’s off-the-court intelligence doesn’t really translate to his shot selection on the floor. He’s a dynamic scorer when he’s on, but his defense is too poor and his shot is too streaky to be relied upon as a starter on a team that wants to win in the future. Sounds like a player ideally suited for a sixth man role, doesn’t it?

This isn’t new territory for the Suns, who had to panic-trade two-thirds of their Goran Dragic-Eric Bledsoe-Isaiah Thomas backcourt when there weren’t enough touches to go around in 2014-15 and resentment set in. But if history doesn’t repeat itself for the third straight season with a disgruntled Suns player demanding a trade, Knight may realize his greatest calling as a sixth man.