Indiana Pacers: Could Luis Scola Be The Sixth Man Of The Year?
By Shane Young
The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award is presented to the player that contributes the most off the bench to his team’s winning formula. Winners of the underrated recognition since the 2007-08 season include Manu Ginobili, Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford, Lamar Odom, James Harden and J.R. Smith. In case the common trait wasn’t blatantly obvious, five of those six players are shooting guards. As a matter of fact, seven of the last 10 winners of the award have been guards in general. The 2013-14 Indiana Pacers, however, will make a strong attempt to break the norm and feature a power forward/center winning this year’s award. That player is none other than their most exciting new addition, Luis Scola.
Luis Scola will be the Pacers’ best player off the bench this season. (NBA.com photo)
First, let’s tackle the idea of why guards, particularly shooting guards, take the Sixth Man of the Year award each year. The clear answer to this is that the voters love statistics and shooting guards tend to be the highest volume shooters on the court. The 3-point shot, which is becoming a larger aspect to the game each year, favors guards over the the forwards that get their production in the paint. Both of these factors contribute to higher scoring averages and a more entertaining play style for the fans and, most importantly, the voters.
The stat lines for the past winners are quite remarkable when you consider they were/are labeled as “bench players:”
Manu Ginobili (2007-08): 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 31 minutes per game. 46 percent FG, 40.1 percent 3-point FG
Jason Terry (2008-09): 19.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 33.7 minutes per game. 46.3 percent FG, 36.6 percent 3-point FG
Jamal Crawford (2009-10): 18.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 31.1 minutes per game. 44.9 percent FG, 38.2 percent 3-point FG
James Harden (2011-12): 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 31.4 minutes per game. 49.1 percent FG, 39.0 percent 3-point FG
J.R. Smith (2012-13): 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 33.5 minutes per game. 42.2 percent FG, 35.6 percent 3-point FG
What makes these numbers stand out is the fact that most teams around the association would do anything to have these shooting guards as their starters.
J.R. Smith won the Sixth Man of The Year Award last season after having an electric regular season. Photo Credit: Bridget Samuels, Flickr.com
Back to Luis Scola, who could arguably be Indiana’s most important player for their future playoff success. Fans of the Phoenix Suns can vouch for the statement that Scola probably isn’t going to produce those type of numbers above in Indiana. However, in his 2010-11 season with the Houston Rockets, he did have a great statistical year with similar minutes played as the winners above. That season, Scola averaged 18.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 32.6 minutes per night. The problem was that he was the starting power forward for the team for all 74 games he played.
Headlining a bench accompanied by Chris Copeland and Lance Stephenson, Scola will not likely play 30-plus minutes per game to start the season. The starting power forward, David West, played 33.4 minutes per game last season and performed very well after taking a dip in stats the year before. Keep in mind, Pacerscoach Frank Vogel said that Scola could potentially see minutes at the center position during Roy Hibbert‘s needed rest. Considering the caliber of the starting frontcourt assets Indiana has, it’s a stretch to say Scola will even see 28 minutes per game this season. While I do not agree with the selection process, Scola will simply not be able to average 19 points a game off the bench and outshine J.R. Smith’s green light from beyond the arc.
If the award was based off any intangibles or included performances in the playoffs, the two frontrunners for 2013-14 would be Scola and Cleveland’s Jarrett Jack. The Pacers’ decision to trade for Scola had an important intention behind it: To build a deep frontcourt capable of exposing the Miami Heat. In the 2013 playoffs, Miami’s Chris Bosh slacked on the offensive end at the center position and struggled to defend the larger Roy Hibbert. Off the bench this year, Miami won’t be up against Tyler Hansbrough (aggressive and active, just not the greatest post talent), but instead someone with a plethora of moves that can hold his own in the paint.
As long as this league continues to feature starting caliber guards in second units (J.R. Smith with New York and Manu Ginobili with San Antonio), the chances for important big men to be recognized for the award will remain slim.
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