By DJ Foster

Posted on February 5, 2016

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For the first time in a long time, the Sixth Man of the Year race is wide open.

Typically, the highest-scoring guard coming off the bench for a playoff team wins the award without much complaint. With the exception of Lamar Odom winning in 2010-11, that’s the way it’s gone for about the last decade.

Although there are a few familiar names and former winners still hanging around, this could be the year that things change.

Let’s break down the Sixth Man of the Year candidates by tier and present the argument for each player:

Good stats, bad team

Lou Williams, LAL: We’ll start with last year’s winner, who will help us prove a point about the award. Sweet Lou has put up similar numbers to last year, but because he plays for a terrible Lakers team instead of a playoff team in Toronto, you won’t hear his name mentioned much in the award hunt. It doesn’t help that Williams has started in 31 of the 49 games he’s appeared in, either. Those two things don’t “officially” rule him out, but with so many other great candidates, a repeat performance is highly unlikely.

Gorgui Dieng, MIN: Dieng has been quietly productive for the Timberwolves, averaging 13.0 points, 9.8 boards, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per 36 minutes along with a 59.4 true shooting percentage. If Minnesota was competitive or if the field was weak, he’d be a real legitimate candidate with those numbers. That just isn’t the case.

Victor Oladipo, ORL: He’s shuttled back and forth between the starting lineup and the bench this year, but Oladipo’s raw numbers (14.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.0 APG) are enough to garner some attention. Efficiency hasn’t really been much of an issue in the past with the winners of the award, but we’re more aware of it now than ever before. The inconsistent bench role and non-contender status of Orlando is enough strikes to keep Oladipo out of the race.

Ryan Anderson, NOP: Poor Ryan Anderson. With all the injuries in New Orleans, Anderson has stepped up off the bench to average 17.2 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 31.5 minutes a night as the only reliable source of offensive production. Those are essentially starter’s minutes Anderson is playing, but since he’s only actually started in six of his 47 appearances, he’ll be up for the award. Here’s something to watch: if Anderson is traded to a contender at the deadline, the 39.4 percent three-point shooter will have a much greater chance of escaping the stink of New Orleans and could have late momentum on his side.

Just don’t watch the defense

Jamal Crawford, LAC: Crawford is always considered a candidate for a few simple reasons. He typically leads all bench scorers in points per game, he plays an important role for a playoff team and he stacks up the highlight plays with his fancy ball handling and tough shots. Crawford is going through a down year by his standards (only 13.0 PPG on poor shooting percentages), but his name will come up, especially if he helps the Clippers stay afloat with Blake Griffin rehabbing his shooting/punching hand. You just have to turn a blind eye to the whole “defense” thing.

Enes Kanter, OKC: Rightfully so, big men usually get more praise and more punishment for their defensive efforts. They have a bigger responsibility, and it’s often easier to spot a poor rim protector than it is a guard who gets caught on screens or rotates poorly. Enes Kanter’s candidacy is hurt by his well-earned reputation of being a terrible defender, but his offensive numbers have been superb: 11.9 PPG and 7.5 RPG on 60.8 percent true shooting in just 20.6 minutes a contest. He’s basically a 20-10 guy in a reduced sixth-man role for one of the league’s best teams, which should make him a serious candidate, despite the defensive deficiencies.

Helpful Canadians

Cory Joseph, TOR: His individual stats aren’t great and the numbers don’t necessarily show his impact, but Joseph has been a calming force for Toronto who defends well and adds another ball handler to take some pressure off Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. He’s not a serious candidate, but in terms of actual team impact, he deserves a mention.

Tristan Thompson, CLE: Thompson is hands down the league’s best offensive rebounder, and his 7.9 PPG and 9.3 RPG are enough to raise some eyeballs. It doesn’t hurt that he plays for the Eastern Conference title favorite, but here’s the issue: he’s recently been starting games under Tyronn Lue and might lose some steam because of that. If he returns to a bench role, he’s one to watch.

Sneaky contenders

Omri Casspi, SAC: At 27 years old, Omri Casspi has experienced a late-career revival with the Kings. He’s averaging 12.4 PPG and 6.5 RPG on a blistering 61.5 true shooting percentage and 44.0 percent shooting from behind the arc. The defense has been pretty solid as well, at least according to the advanced plus/minus stats. With the Kings battling for the eighth seed, a late push by the team could coincide with Casspi’s brilliant campaign being recognized.

Myles Turner, IND: Ben Gordon is the only rookie to win Sixth Man of the Year, but Turner has a lot working in his favor. The Pacers are a playoff team who’ve exceeded expectations, and Turner is a late bloomer who missed a chunk of time early in the season with injury. He’ll have to play the rest of the way and return to a bench role, but his current averages of 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes with a 18.3 PER could make him both a worthy big man and worthy rookie in an award that doesn’t typically favor either.

The top tier

Who is leading the 6th Man of the Year race?

— D.J. Foster (@FOXSportsFoster) February 2, 2016

Will Barton, DEN: He’s been good enough to escape the “bad team” plague, and he’d probably be a lock for the award if he played on a playoff team. Regardless, Barton’s big scoring off the bench (15.5 PPG in 28.8 minutes) is the big draw here, but the other stats are strong as well (6.0 RPG, 2.3 APG). Unlike many of his sixth-man predecessors, Barton has been pretty efficient (55.6 TS%) and isn’t a sieve defensively. Keep in mind that Barton is also a threat to win the Most Improved Player of the Year, but it’s hard to say if that helps or hurts his case here.

Manu Ginobili, SAS: Manu hasn’t won a 6MOY since 2007-08, which seems a little bit crazy considering how dominant he’s been throughout his career. Although many foolishly wrote him off over the last few seasons, Ginobili has bounced back with an incredible campaign so far this year. His per-36 averages are as good as any bench player’s: 18.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 56.7 TS% and a 19.2 PER. Ginobili’s limited playing time is one thing holding him back, and now a nasty testicular injury has him sidelined for a month, so that’ll likely put a big wrench in his candidacy.

Andre Iguodala, GSW: It’s unheard of for the reigning Finals MVP to be up for Sixth Man of the Year the very next season, but here we are. Iguodala has a bigger impact than his stats indicate (7.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.5 APG in 27.3 minutes), and playing a key role for one of the greatest teams we’ve ever seen certainly won’t hurt his case. The 32-year-old is the best defender on the list and is knocking in 39.0 percent of his threes, so there aren’t a lot of weak spots to point out. In a league starved for quality wings, he’s a luxury for the Warriors off the pine. This is probably Iguodala’s award to lose.