Back in October, just before the 2015-16 NBA season kicked off, a panel of writers at Last Word On Sports predicted award winners for every category. Many of those predictions will turn out to be spot-on, while some will surely fall flat. But with the regular season now in the books, six members of the LWOS basketball department will give their takes on who deserves to win each award. We’ll go through all six of the main awards, including Coach of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Valuable Player.
For a complete listing of picks for the 2015-16 NBA awards at LWOS, click here.
Let’s take a look at our choices for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
2015-16 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award Picks
Harrison Marcus, senior editor: This is probably the toughest award to choose, and I’m going to go with a wild card pick here. Even though I doubt he actually wins it, Will Barton of the Denver Nuggets is most deserving of the award. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season, providing a jolt of energy, athleticism, and youth in 29 minutes per game off the bench. Playing for a bad team in a small market won’t get him recognized by the media, but this kid knows how to play. Barton is one of the most underrated players in the league and should be an important piece moving forwards as Denver continues to rebuild.
Thomas Mooney, staff writer: There’s no clear winner this year like Lou Williams or Isaiah Thomas last year, I’ll go with Enes Kanter. He’s been the key contributor on an improved Thunder bench, averaging close to 13 points per game (22 per 36), and has been a great rebounder as well averaging 8 per game. The thing that would hurt Kanter’s case the most is that he’s not a very good defender. I’d also like to see Bismack Biyombo of the Raptors get some votes. His impact off the bench has been astounding this season, and they didn’t take a step back when their starter Jonas Valanciunas missed a portion of the year. Honorable Mentions: Jamal Crawford, Bismack Biyombo.
Lior Kozai, associate editor: This is a tough call, as many of our predicted winners from the beginning of the season either struggled this year or moved into starting roles. Usually, a high volume scoring guard wins this award (as was the case last season), but there isn’t one deserving of the honor this year. It might be a reach, but I’ll go with Patrick Patterson, who has been stellar and consistent all season for Toronto’s solid bench unit, which ranks second in net rating for any group of reserves. Even though Patterson backs up Luis Scola at the Raptors’ power forward spot, Patterson plays most of the minutes and finishes games. He plays both sides of the ball, spacing the floor on offense while defending stretch fours on the perimeter and strong post players on the interior. As part of each of Toronto’s three best lineups, Patterson is crucial to the success of a top five team in the NBA. While Patterson may not be the most eye opening player, neither are the other candidates. Enes Kanter has great stats, but he’s a major defensive liability. Evan Turner has been excellent, but he has his limitations on the perimeter and he holds the ball too much. San Antonio’s bench is the only one better than Toronto’s, but none of the Spurs’ reserves stands out as a “sixth man”. Jeremy Lin is a solid choice, but to me, Patterson has been a tad better and is the most deserving contender for this award.
Chris Voloschuk, staff writer: Jamal Crawford. Blake Griffin’s absence from the Clippers lineup only made Crawford stand out more. He wasn’t just his usual productive self this season: he was downright indispensable for a team in need of a scoring bridge (or a bandaid) to cover Griffin’s 46 missed games. At age 36, Crawford accepted the challenge and averaged 14.2 points per game, and his shooting percentages (.404 from two, .340 from three) are both improved from last year. And he helped the Clippers get to a 52-28 record at this point.
Matthew Cardenas, associate editor: Honestly, I’m pretty torn on who I want to give this to. It is a toss up between Enes Kanter and Jamal Crawford. But, I am going to have to give this to Crawford. Once again, he reminded us that he is arguably one of the greatest sixth men ever. He was given a bigger role once Blake Griffin went down for half of the season and stepped up every single night. He constantly provided energy and scoring off the Clippers bench. Although their bench is known for being inconsistent, Crawford was consistent all season. He averaged 16.0 points per game this season and helped take some of the offensive load off of Chris Paul. Plus, his team had one of the best records in the NBA. That is always an advantage when it comes to the NBA awards.
Grant Funtila, staff writer: This is the hardest to fill out for me because there are so many deserving winners. But I’d have to go with Jamal Crawford of the Clippers. He’s averaging 16 PPG off the bench and his team has the best record out of all my candidates. With the disappointing stint of Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson off the bench for the Clips, Crawford showed us why he’s one of the best sixth man to ever do it. Providing instant offense every single night and he helped carry the offense with Blake Griffin out due to injury. Honorable Mention: Evan Turner. He’s been amazing off the bench for the Celtics averaging 10.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 4.4 apg. Sadly those numbers don’t match up with what Crawford has been doing all season long. And it doesn’t help that the Clippers have a better record than the Celtics.
