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

By Gerald Bourguet

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
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 /
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Apr 27, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford (11) takes a 3 point shot in the second half of game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. Trail Blazers won 108-98. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Jamal Crawford

A record three-time winner of the Sixth Man of the Year Award, it doesn’t seem to have mattered to voters that Jamal Crawford hasn’t shot 42 percent from the floor in three seasons, that his ability to create his own shot no longer vibes with his team’s offense, or that there are plenty of ways to impact a game off the bench other than putting a bunch of shots up.

But if Crawford could win the award last season, when he averaged a meager 14.2 points per game on .404/.340/.904 shooting splits for the Los Angeles Clippers, perhaps the power of his name is still enough to carry him in the voting process.

Admit it: When you think of “Sixth Man of the Year,” for better or worse, Crawford is probably the first name that pops into your head. Never mind the fact that he’s nowhere near as effective as he once was; it’s just easy to throw him into consideration because bench and starting roles interchange so often around the league now.

With so many players fluctuating between a starting role and sixth man duty as teams try to find the right balance, sometimes the tried and true sixth men become easier targets. If no one steps up and assertively claim the award this year, we could see a head-scratching Jamal Crawford selection again in 2016-17.