NBA Awards Watch: Frontrunners for MVP, ROY and more through November
Sixth Man of the Year: Tyreke Evans, Memphis Grizzlies
This has to be Tyreke Evans, right? The Memphis Grizzlies‘ nine-game losing streak does him no favors, nor does their 7-13 overall record.
But for a team playing without Mike Conley that just fired its head coach, Evans has been the lone bright spot, averaging an eye-popping 17.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game on .490/.413/.761 shooting splits in his 19 appearances off the bench.
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‘Reke has started only one of his 20 games so far this season, and that’s because of the incredible impact he’s had with the second unit. He leads all bench players in scoring and has been one of the few Grizzlies that’s actually producing on a nightly basis.
Dwyane Wade is coming on strong now that he’s embraced his sixth man role for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and if he boosts his scoring numbers, he could catch Evans simply for his impact on a title contender. Will Barton has been critical for the shorthanded Denver Nuggets lately, Domantas Sabonis is starting to look like the second coming of his father, and Jordan Clarkson and Jonathon Simmons deserve recognition as well.
We might have to keep an eye on Rodney Hood as well, who has only come off the bench for nine of his 18 games so far but is putting up stellar numbers with the second unit. Kelly Oubre Jr. is in a similar boat.
However, at this early stage of the season when one winning or losing streak can drastically alter a team’s record, numbers win out. In the Sixth Man of the Year discussion, Tyreke Evans has the best among all bench players.
Honorable Mentions:
- Dwyane Wade, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Will Barton, Denver Nuggets
- Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
- Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers
- Jonathon Simmons, Orlando Magic