Basketball is a game of rhythm. If you’re a starter, you get the warm-up, the intros, the immediate flow of the tip-off. But imagine sitting on a cold plastic chair for twelve minutes, watching the pace develop, and then being told to check in and immediately drop 15 points. It’s a mental grind. The 6th man of the year winners aren't just "backups." They are specialists in instant gratification.
Honestly, the award has changed so much since it started in 1983. Back then, it was about being a defensive glue guy like Bobby Jones. Now? It’s often about who can provide the most "microwave" scoring. If you can’t get a bucket in ten seconds, you aren't winning this trophy in the 2020s.
The Evolution of the Bench General
Bobby Jones was the first to ever do it. In the 1982-83 season with the Philadelphia 76ers, he didn't win because he was a scoring machine. He won because he was "The Secretary of Defense." He averaged 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds. Those numbers would get you laughed out of a modern award conversation, but he was the heartbeat of a championship team.
Then came the Kevin McHale era. Most people forget McHale was a bench player because he’s such a legend, but he won back-to-back in '84 and '85. He was basically a superstar who just happened to start the game sitting down.
Why the Scoring Boom Happened
Somewhere in the 90s and 2000s, the criteria shifted. We started seeing guys like Ricky Pierce and Eddie Johnson. Pierce actually holds the record for the highest scoring average by a winner, putting up a wild 23.0 points per game for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1990.
Think about that.
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Coming off the bench and leading your team in scoring. It’s a specific kind of ego-less confidence. You have to be okay with not hearing your name in the starting lineups, but knowing you’ll be the one taking the shot when the game is on the line.
The Multi-Time Kings: Lou and Jamal
If you look at the history of 6th man of the year winners, two names stand above everyone else: Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford. Both have won it three times. They are the blueprint for the modern bench assassin.
Jamal Crawford had this crossover that could break ankles in three different time zones. He won with the Hawks in 2010 and then twice more with the Clippers in 2014 and 2016. He didn't care about the system. He was the system.
Lou Williams followed a similar path. Whether it was Toronto or the Clippers, "Sweet Lou" was the ultimate professional. In 2019, he was literally the best player on a playoff-bound Clippers team while still coming off the bench. He turned the "bench player" label into a brand. He made it cool.
The Rarity of the All-Around Winners
Every now and then, a player wins who doesn't just shoot. Manu Ginobili in 2008 is the gold standard here. He was a top-10 player in the entire league that year. He averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He even made the All-NBA Third Team while being a "reserve."
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It’s actually kind of a joke he only won it once.
Lamar Odom is another one. In 2011, he was the first Laker to ever win it. He was a 6'10" point forward who could do everything. He brought a level of versatility that usually gets you a max contract and a starting spot, but he sacrificed for the sake of Kobe’s Lakers.
The New Guard and the 2024 Shocker
Fast forward to 2024. Naz Reid.
Naz becoming the 6th man of the year winner was a moment for the "undrafted" kids. He wasn't supposed to be this good. He’s a big man with guard skills, playing for a Minnesota Timberwolves team that already had two All-Star centers in Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Reid beat out Malik Monk by just 10 points in the voting. It was the closest race in years. He shot 41.4% from three as a center. That’s not normal. It shows that the award is moving away from just "small guards who shoot a lot" and back toward "guys who actually change the game's geometry."
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Recent Winners and Their Impact
- 2025: Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics) – A guy who purely outhustled everyone. He proved that being a pest on defense and hitting deep threes is still a winning formula.
- 2023: Malcolm Brogdon (Boston Celtics) – A former Rookie of the Year who accepted a bench role to win a title. Pure professionalism.
- 2022: Tyler Herro (Miami Heat) – He put up 20.7 points per game. He was basically a starter who just liked the second-quarter matchups better.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Award
A common misconception is that the Sixth Man is just the "next best player" on the roster. That’s rarely true. Often, the second-best player has to start because of team chemistry.
The Sixth Man is usually the player whose skills are redundant with the starters but essential for the second unit. If you have a ball-dominant point guard starting, you don't want your second-best scorer standing in the corner. You bring him off the bench so he can have the ball for 30 minutes.
It's about staggering talent.
How to Evaluate a Great Sixth Man Season
If you’re trying to figure out who might win it next year, don't just look at the points. Look at these three things:
- The "Closing" Factor: Does the coach trust them in the final four minutes? Most winners actually finish the game, even if they don't start it.
- The "Spark" Metric: Do they lead the league in bench scoring? Google the "bench points per game" leaders. The winner is almost always in the top three.
- The Winning Record: Voters rarely give this award to a guy on a losing team. You have to be a spark that actually leads to wins.
The 6th man role is arguably the most selfless job in professional sports. You’re talented enough to start for 20 other teams, but you choose to sit and wait for your moment.
To really understand the impact of these players, start watching the game when the first substitutions happen at the six-minute mark of the first quarter. That’s when the chess match begins. Pay attention to the "Plus/Minus" stat of the primary bench scorer over a ten-game stretch; if a team’s lead consistently grows when the starters sit, you’re looking at a future Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Check the current season's bench efficiency ratings on sites like Basketball-Reference to see who is trending toward the trophy this year.