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The 25 Greatest Sixth Men Of All Time

By Carter Johnson

Oct 28, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) reacts after a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) reacts after a shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 6, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry (31) reacts after making a basket during the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry (31) reacts after making a basket during the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets

14.9 PPG, 3.0 APG, 37.3 3P% in 8 seasons as 6th Man

Accolades: 1X Sixth Man of the Year (2008-09), 1X NBA Champion (2011)

Though he is currently wasting away on a divided and struggling Houston Rockets team, Jason Terry was once one of the premier bench players and scorers in the league.

After a superb collegiate career at the University of Arizona in the late 1990s, Terry was a star early in his career with the Atlanta Hawks before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks before the start of the 2004-05 season.

It was there that he made his mark as the second best player on a perennial championship contender.

Terry spent his first few seasons with the Mavs in the starting lineup and was fairly effective, averaging 15.4 points per game in three seasons. However, after an NBA Finals loss and multiple early playoff exits, then head coach Avery Johnson made a bold move and moved Terry to the sixth man spot.

For the next five seasons, there would be few bench players — if any — better than Terry.

The Jet put up 16.5 points a night on shooting splits of .450/.369/.867 and was the ultimate spark plug, making big shots when they were needed the most while hyping up crowds and teammates alike with his contagious energy. The fact that Terry only won one Sixth Man of the Year award during that span is a testament to how many good ones were in the league at the time.

When the Mavs got another shot at a title in 2011, Terry was a crucial contributor and a catalyst for their improbable run, averaging 17.5 points per game on a .478/.442/.843 split throughout the playoffs that year.

The Jet was the team’s best player in a 4-0 sweep of the defending champion Lakers in the second round, averaging 19.8 points per game on a remarkable .587/.674/.857 shooting split and burying nine threes in the series-clinching Game 4.

Terry capped it off with 18 points a night on 49 percent shooting in the Finals while helping to lead Dallas to its first title in franchise history.

Terry has since had some less than stellar stints with the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and now the Rockets, but his monumental impact during his time with the Mavs makes him one of the best sixth men to ever do it.

Next: The Kangaroo Kid