NBA Final Awards Ballot: Who gets to bring home the hardware?

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NBA Sixth Man of the Year – Jordan Clarkson

Honorable Mentions: Joe Ingles, Derrick Rose

Quarter-Pole Choice: Jordan Clarkson

Halfway Point Choice: Jordan Clarkson

Three-Quarter Pole Choice: Jordan Clarkson

This has felt like Jordan Clarkson’s award to lose since the beginning of the season and while the gap has closed as the season has progressed, he should still be considered the favorite to win this award. Sixth Man of the Year often goes to the top scorer off the bench full stop, and that is Clarkson. The Utah Jazz Guard is averaging 18.3 points per game off the bench, leading all bench players (min. 17 appearances) by 3.2 points per game.

The case for Clarkson is about more than base stats, though. When he enters the game the offense changes for the Jazz. Clarkson goes on an all-out assault against second units, shooting 54.4 percent in the restricted area and paint combined. He keeps the Jazz at an elite offensive level when Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic are off the field. That level of continuity is the making of a champion.

His teammate, Joe Ingles, also makes a strong case for the award. The raw counting stats are not as impressive but the efficiency is on another level. For players logging at least 25 minutes per game, he is fourth in the league in effective field goal percentage (65.2), behind only teammate Rudy Gobert (67.5), Joe Harris (65.4) and Mitchell Robinson (65.3). On the other side of the country, Derrick Rose has made an impact on the New York Knicks like that of Clarkson. With him in the lineup, the Knicks have gone 24-11 and he is averaging 14.9 points and 4.2 assists on shooting splits of .487/.411/.883.