Basketball is a team game, but success in the NBA itself is decided by a handful of superstars. LeBron, Kobe, CP3, you know the rest, but there’s always that one guy, the x-factor that may be the key to getting the precious W. That “x-factor” is the sixth man. A sixth man serves as the leader of the bench, the guy who provides instant energy, the guy whom coach brings in to change the momentum of a game, and lastly, has the potential to become a superstar himself (e.g. James Harden). With that in mind, and as the ’12-’13 regular season nears its conclusion, three names top my list for this year’s award: Jamal Crawford (L.A. Clippers), J.R. Smith (New York Knicks) and Kevin Martin (OKC Thunder).
In that trio of names mentioned, one has won the award already (Crawford), now let’s analyze what each player brings to their team. Jamal Crawford has been one of the bright spots in an already deep bench for the Clippers this season, providing instant offense from the bench for the Clips. With a season average of 16.7 points per game, Crawford seems comfortable playing second fiddle to Chris Paul and Willie Green. Not only does he provide instant offense, but he is also second in total points scored for the Clippers this season, behind Blake Griffin and just ahead of Paul. Seems like he’s poised to take this year’s award again, right? Well, one problem has been nagging him this season and pretty much his entire career that may give his other counterparts the edge in sixth man voting: individual depth. Jamal Crawford is no doubt a pure scorer, with his shooting touch and deadly behind-the-back crossover, he can put up points in a real hurry, but basketball isn’t all about offense. He scores well, but there is nothing else. (1.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists just won’t cut it) There are far more intangibles involved, and this is why Jamal Crawford, whether he likes to admit it or not, is a one-dimensional player.
Now we move on to Kevin Martin, OKC’s prized pick-up from Houston late last year. Like Crawford, Martin is a pure scorer as well, and if left wide open, it’s going to be nothing but a pretty “swish” sound. He had big shoes to fill, taking the sixth man reigns from James Harden, now exploding on a nightly basis in Houston. No one ever said he had to fill those shoes, but Martin could’ve at least tried. Martin is a very streaky shooter, and had one of those shooting slumps earlier this year that may have cost OKC gaining the upper hand against the Spurs for the best record in the West. He suffers the same individual problems with Crawford, scoring but little else. He was poised to thrive in coach Scott Brooks’ system, and thrive he did, but it isn’t enough to garner him the award.
Lastly, we come to J.R. Smith, who obviously after reading the past two paragraphs, is my pick for this year’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. Intended to bolster a Knicks roster prepping for title-contender status back during the lockout, J.R. Smith has proven himself to be one of the key pieces of this Knicks team, dare I say only second to Carmelo Anthony in value to the team. This year, he’s averaging a scorching 17.8 points, a career-best, 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Surprisingly for a bench player, Smith is second in minutes logged per game (behind Melo). J.R. Smith is the definition of a sixth man year. He can pick up where the starters left off. He brings energy to the team. He isn’t afraid to take the ball into his hands at the closing seconds (as evidenced by this and this). Put him on any .500 team and no question he’d be a starter. He even had that 30+ point consecutive game stretch earlier this year, proving that when the offense runs through him, the opposing team better be prepared to defend. There are honorable mentions for this year’s Sixth Man of the Year (Ray Allen, Jarret Jack, Gordon Hayward), but no other player deserves it more this year than the guy in blue and orange, J.R. Smith.
Typos and Inkstains 