NBA: 10 Candidates For Sixth Man Of The Year In 2015-16

The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award is always one of the league’s more entertaining debates. On the surface, the title of best sixth man in the association should be defined by more than just raw scoring numbers. Idealistically, this award would go to the most important substitute on a winning team who changes the dynamic of the game every time he checks in.

Unfortunately, this award seems to be blown off by and large. Voters are busy covering their own teams, making it all too easy to vote for the inefficient gunners of the league who come off the bench, take a ton of irresponsible shots and still manage to put up solid scoring numbers when all is said and done.

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The reason the NBA is so great is because of the superstars, but it’s the valuable role players coming off the bench who are the unsung heroes that make the difference between winning and losing. To that end, the Sixth Man of the Year Award should represent the pinnacle of putting the team first and making a major difference coming off the bench.

It may take some time for the voters to stop selecting the J.R. Smiths of the league, but heading into the 2015-16 season, there are plenty of potentially deserving candidates to keep an eye on…in addition to the usual batch of irrational confidence guys. Here’s a look at the top 10 candidates for the 2015-16 Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Honorable Mentions: Tiago Splitter, Ryan Anderson, Amar’e Stoudemire, Taj Gibson and T.J. Warren

Next: No. 10

10. Gerald Green

Gerald Green is 29 years old, he’s joining a completely new team and he’s coming off a season of regression with the Phoenix Suns that saw him all but benched down the stretch. But if head coach Erik Spoelstra doesn’t try to contain him and unleashes him instead, the Miami Heat could greatly benefit from a bounce-back year from the Green Machine.

Last season, Green’s numbers and minutes were down, but he’s only a season removed from his excellent 2013-14 campaign in which he averaged 15.8 points per game on 40 percent shooting from three-point range. He may have some competition from his teammates Justise Winslow and Amar’e Stoudemire as the designated sixth man in Miami, but Green is certainly no slouch.

If the Four-Fingered Assassin can spread the floor and ignite the crowd with his patented electrifying dunks, the Heat could be a dangerous team. And if they’re a dangerous team in the East, the attention drawn to them will only help Green earn a few extra votes in a resurgent season.

Next: No. 9

9. Lou Williams

It may be disrespectful to put the reigning Sixth Man of the Year this low on the list, but I don’t see Lou Williams having the same success with the Los Angeles Lakers that he enjoyed last season. I mean, let’s be real, that Drake song doesn’t even work anymore now that “Lou Will” has left the Toronto Raptors. THESE THINGS MATTER.

On a worse team, you’d think Williams would be in line for more responsibility and the chance to improve on his numbers from last season, when he averaged 15.5 points per game on 40.4 percent shooting. He fits the mold of gunner off the bench who may not be efficient, but sways the voters simply because he puts up high point totals.

But the Lakers’ backcourt is crowded. Head coach Byron Scott needs to find minutes for Jordan Clarkson and rookie D’Angelo Russell, and you know Kobe Bryant is going to get his playing time. But with Williams being the fourth most important guard in the rotation and only so many shots to go around between him, Kobe and Nick Young, there will more than likely be a new Sixth Man of the Year in 2015-16.

Next: No. 8

8. Tristan Thompson

As of right now, it’s not even guaranteed that Tristan Thompson will be suiting up for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015-16. With Thompson being a restricted free agent this summer, he and his agent Rich Paul are locked in a staring contest with the Cavs front office. After the deadline passed to sign a one-year qualifying offer that would’ve made him an unrestricted free agent next summer, the two sides are officially in a standoff.

Thompson is far from being worthy of a max-level contract, but if he’s back with the Cavs for the start of the season, he could earn some votes backing up Kevin Love off the bench. Given LeBron James‘ support of Thompson, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the two sides come to an agreement of some sort.

Last season, Thompson only averaged 8.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game — numbers that won’t help him stand out in a Sixth Man race. But he’s one of the best offensive rebounders in the league and made a name for himself in the playoffs as a beast on the boards. Now that the world is all too familiar with what he can do and what he’s worth, a breakout season from Thompson could enter his name in this conversation.

Next: No. 7

7. Ty Lawson

Technically speaking, there’s a very good chance Ty Lawson starts more games for the Houston Rockets than Patrick Beverley does in 2015-16. Beverley has been a tad injury-prone lately and though he’s a better defender (and possibly a better fit alongside James Harden in the frontcourt), the team’s ceiling is a lot higher with Lawson in the starting five.

However, in the event that Lawson’s average perimeter shooting and ball-dominant tendencies don’t mesh well with the Beard, there’s a chance head coach Kevin McHale might choose to utilize Lawson in a sixth man role, placing him in charge of a deep and talented second unit.

Lawson still has to prove to the world that he’s put his inner demons behind him, but even if he’s able to do so, there’s a chance his starting role could be changed simply for basketball reasons. If that’s the case, the former Denver Nuggets facilitator probably vaults a few spots up this list.

Next: No. 6

6. The Los Angeles Clippers’ Bench Mob

Okay, so maybe I’m cheating here, but can you really pick just one sixth man candidate from the Los Angeles Clippers‘ bench? The answer is no, you cannot. At the top of the list is obviously Jamal Crawford, who has won the Sixth Man of the Year Award twice in his career for his razzle dazzle heat checks off the bench. Last season, however, his field goal percentage dropped to 39.6 percent.

If head coach Doc Rivers stands by Wesley Johnson as his starter at the 3, Paul Pierce could throw his name into the ring as well. He may not be as spry as he once was, but the Truth was a huge addition to the Washington Wizards last season, knocking down clutch shots and providing the type of veteran leadership the Clippers will now enjoy. Now Pierce just needs the stats to back up his intangible value.

Finally, there’s the dynamic (or potentially dastardly) duo of Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson. Smoove proved last year that in the right environment, he could thrive off the bench. Born Ready has a long way to go to prove he’s still the player who led the league in triple-doubles in 2013-14. Either way, the Clippers’ improved bench has four players who could compete for these votes by season’s end.

Next: No. 5

5. Donatas Motiejunas

James Harden was the Rockets’ leading man last year, but Donatas Motiejunas played a huge role in preventing Houston’s season from derailing due to injuries to Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones. D-Mo was unable to stay healthy for the postseason, but his progression during the regular season was one of the pleasant surprises of the year for the Rockets.

Sporting a solid post game, three-point shooting ability (36.8 percent) and a great feel for the game that helped Houston’s offense keep humming, Motiejunas averaged 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game on 50.4 percent shooting. If he can stay healthy, he’s poised for a breakout season on a legitimate title contender.

There’s the slight caveat that D-Mo’s back might not be fully healed before opening night, but as long as he’s able to return relatively soon and provide a scoring presence on the block and on the perimeter, he’ll be a high profile backup for Terrence Jones.

Next: No. 4

4. Andre Iguodala

The basic numbers may not back it up, but after the 2015 NBA Finals, the world finally understood that Andre Iguodala was one of the elite sixth men in this league — and he had Finals MVP hardware to back it up. Sure, he won that award because head coach Steve Kerr inserted him into the starting lineup so the Golden State Warriors could dominate with small-ball lineups, but with the start of a new season, Iggy will return to the bench.

Last year, Iguodala averaged only 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 26.9 minutes per game. His role was vastly reduced during the regular season compared to the playoffs, and those kinds of numbers certainly won’t be cutting it for this award…which would suit Iggy just fine, apparently:

But now the world understands his two-way value — a value that extends beyond the stat sheet. If he’s able to put up better numbers, shoot the ball a little more efficiently from three-point range and serve an important role on another 65-plus win team, Iggy could very easily be one of the biggest names in the sixth man conversation.

Next: No. 3

3. Nikola Mirotic

Last year, Nikola Mirotic finished second in Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and though his shooting percentages weren’t great (40.5 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from three-point range), he slowly but surely overtook Taj Gibson as the Chicago Bulls‘ designated sixth man.

With Gibson coming off summer surgery, it’s time for Mirotic’s breakout season as a bonafide Sixth Man of the Year candidate. His game is well-rounded and his potential as a perimeter shooter makes him an enticing first option off the bench in Fred Hoiberg’s new offense.

It wouldn’t be the first time a guy with an awesome beard won the Sixth Man award, and Mirotic’s value as a stretch-4 is going to quickly become apparent, even in Chicago’s crowded frontcourt. With the NBA diving headfirst into the small-ball era, Mirotic is a terrific dark horse candidate for this award.

Next: No. 2

2. David West

In his final season with the Indiana Pacers, David West averaged 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game — numbers that probably wouldn’t have been good enough to win him the Sixth Man award, and that’s when he was playing as a starter. On a team as deep and balanced as the San Antonio Spurs, West certainly won’t be playing 28.7 minutes per game anymore.

However, there’s also a major difference between last year’s Pacers and this year’s Spurs. Getting West on a such a major discount was the real eye-opener for the winning culture in San Antonio, but no one should lose sight of the fact that just acquiring a player of West’s caliber for the Spurs’ bench was a steal in and of itself.

Under one of the game’s sharpest minds in Gregg Popovich, West should thrive in a system that will allow him to spread the defense with his midrange shot or bang bodies in the paint for easy points. His threat as a low-post scorer will draw double-teams and mismatches, making San Antonio’s offense that much more versatile. If he can improve his numbers for an elite Western team, he’ll be in this conversation.

Next: No. 1

1. Isaiah Thomas

At the start of the 2014-15 season, it felt like the Sixth Man of the Year Award was Isaiah Thomas‘ to lose. He was going to be the third point guard on a backcourt-heavy Phoenix Suns team and as the spark plug off the bench, he was going to feast on opposing backups. And that’s what happened for awhile…until all three of Phoenix’s point guards were unhappy with their role and minutes.

It was hard to vote for Thomas as Sixth Man when his tenure with the Suns ended so abruptly and so dramatically at the trade deadline, but Thomas’ time with the Boston Celtics was pretty convincing as far as this conversation goes. In 21 games under Brad Stevens, I.T. averaged 19.0 points and 5.4 assists in 25.7 minutes per game.

Thomas’ ability to be a human microwave off the bench is exactly what this award calls for, right down to his less than efficient shooting percentages. As long as he thrills the Celtics fans with exciting energy off the bench, Isaiah Thomas is once again the frontrunner for this award at the start of a new NBA season.

Next: NBA: 10 Bounce-Back Candidates For 2015-16

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