The greatest sixth man from each NBA team

Greatest sixth man in Utah Jazz: Thurl Bailey

The greatest sixth man in the history of the Utah Jazz is a forward named Thurl Bailey. He entered the NBA after a Cinderella run with NC State in the NCAA tournament, winning the title over Houston. His first two seasons in the league he started over half of his games, refining his game for NBA level of competition.

In his third season, the Jazz moved him to the bench, and it was there that he truly began to thrive. Bailey was a player with plenty of offensive skill, and he showed it for those Jazz teams throughout the 1980s. In 1987-88 he averaged 19.6 points per game, and in 1988-89 he duplicated the feat with nearly identical numbers.

Few players have hit that level of production coming off the bench, and almost all of them won Sixth Man of the Year. Not so for Bailey, who ends up as perhaps the biggest snub in the history of the award.

Unlike some players, Bailey stayed in his role for an extended period of time. For the better part of seven seasons, he came off the bench for the Jazz, and showed up like clockwork, not missing a single game from 1987-92. Still an announcer with the team, Bailey was then and now a talented player making an impact for his team.