Can a Knick Win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award?
The last time a member of the New York Knicks won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award was in the 2012-2013 season, when J.R. Smith won the award. He was the third Knicks player ever to win the award, and his winning season saw him average 18 points off the bench, which would ultimately become his career high. This upcoming season, the Knicks have a chance to have their fourth Sixth MOTY winner. This season, the Knicks have a roster so talented that they have multiple candidates who can win the award.
The previous head coach of the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau, had a reputation for not playing his bench players and heavily relying on his starters. In the 2024-2025 season, the Knicks starters held a reputation for playing the most minutes. The player with the most minutes played was Mikal Bridges, and the player with the most minutes per game was Josh Hart. They weren't the leaders for the Knicks; they led the league in these categories. In fact, the Knicks had three starters in the top ten of both of these lists. This style of play wasn't conducive to having a bench unit that was given consistent minutes to find its rhythm. With the new head coach, Mike Brown, having a track record with playing his bench players more than Thibs, this upcoming season, the bench unit will have the opportunity to stand out.
The figurehead of the Knicks bench while Thibs was the head coach was Miles “Deuce” McBride. Deuce has been a consistent spark plug off the bench, and with head coach Mike Brown having a propensity to play a deeper roster, Deuce will get more chances to score in competitive games. While his numbers aren't as impressive as the previous winner, Payton Pritchard, Deuce has a reputation for being consistent when it counts. In the 2023-2024 playoff series against the 76ers, a phenomenal performance by Deuce got the Knicks their first win after Jalen Brunson had a slow start to the series. This season, Deuce likely won't have to compete with Prichard for the award. After the Celtics radically altered their roster, Pritchard may have more games as a starter than coming off the bench, making him ineligible for the award.
This off-season, the Knicks acquired a previous winner of the Sixth MOTY award in Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson won the award in the 2020-2021 season after averaging 18 points. Last season, Clarkson only averaged 16 points; however, this year, he’ll be paired with another scoring guard in Deuce. These two playing next to each other is a nightmare for other bench defenses. It’s within the realm of possibilities that Clarkson has an average of eighteen or more points off the bench and wins his second Sixth MOTY award.
The third player the Knicks have that’s potentially in the running to win the award is Josh Hart. While Hart was primarily a starter last season, it's in the best interest of the team to move him to the bench and start Mitchell Robinson in a double big lineup with Karl-Anthony Towns. This hides KAT's defensive shortcomings, and the increased size of the frontcourt makes life harder on opposing offenses. Hart is the jack of all trades of the team. Last season, he averaged 13 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. This was his season average while being six-foot-four and playing power forward, even though he's a combo shooting guard and small forward. He was successful while taking on a more difficult role; if you put him in his natural position and have him go against bench units instead of starters, it's all but guaranteed that his stat line will increase. Hart averaging a double-double with at least five assists per game is a strong argument for him winning the Sixth MOTY award and cementing him in Knicks history.
