Each NBA Team's Biggest Boost Off the Bench
One of the most exciting experiences for an NBA fan is when their team is seemingly out of a game, only to have the bench come in and turn things around. For that reason, we want to honor the guys who bring the biggest boost off the bench.
There are two qualifications for this list:
- At least 20 games played as a reserve
- Currently playing with the second unit and not the starters (therefore disqualifying players like Rudy Gobert, who have played themselves into a promotion)
This doesn't necessarily mean the highest-scoring player off the bench, it's the most effective one. It might be a defensive stopper or magnificent rebounder.
The stats for this list are only what the players have done off the bench, so they may be slightly different than their season stats if the player in question has started games as well.
Atlanta Hawks: Dennis Schroder
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One of the big secrets to the success of the Atlanta Hawks this season is point guard Dennis Schroder. In just his second NBA season, Schroder is averaging 8.7 points and 3.6 assists per game as a reserve.
What makes him so valuable to the Hawks is that he comes close to duplicating what starter Jeff Teague does. Teauge averages 19.4 points and 8.2 assists per 36 minutes; Schroeder provides 17.2 and 7.4. Teague offers 10.4 points per 48 minutes on drives, Schroeder 11.8.
Being able to provide the same level of production in the same manner is a big part of what makes the Hawks offense work so seamlessly.
Boston Celtics: Isaiah Thomas
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Isaiah Thomas is new to the Boston Celtics. They landed him in a three-team trade with the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline. Since coming to Boston, Thomas is averaging 21.4 points and 5.4 assists per game, all of the bench.
To illustrate Thomas' value, take this blind player test based on career per-36-minute stats:
- Thomas: 19.7 points, 5.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 57.5 true shooting percentage.
- Mystery Player: 21.8 points, 5.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 55.5 true shooting percentage.
While the mystery player's stats are slightly better, they aren't dramatically better. But you'd never know it by their reputations.
You might be surprised to find out that Thomas is giving nearly the same level of production as Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brooklyn Nets: Brook Lopez
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It is perhaps a testament to how disappointing Brooklyn's season has been that their best player off the bench is center Brook Lopez. After all, having a max-contract player outside of the starting lineup is hardly a good sign.
Lopez's situation is a mixed bag. His reserve status doesn't indicate the level of his play. He's averaging 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game since his demotion. That makes him easily the Nets' best reserve by far.
He'd be starting for most teams, but he's in coach Lionel Hollins' doghouse and doesn't seem to have a way out of it. So right now, he's a very good and highly overpaid sixth man.
Charlotte Hornets: Lance Stephenson
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It is safe to say that this is not the type of season the Charlotte Hornets or Lance Stephenson had in mind when they inked a three-year, $27.4 million contract. Stephenson was supposed to help them get to the next level. The Hornets were supposed to help him prove he was worth more money.
Neither has happened, and Stephenson has been demoted to the bench. While there, he has not been magnificent by any stretch, but he's still been Charlotte's best option. He's averaging 6.9 points, 4.5 assists and 3.4 boards in that role.
Honorable mention here goes to center Bismack Biyombo, who brings a defensive presence.
Chicago Bulls: Taj Gibson
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Taj Gibson has been the Bulls' most consistent presence off the bench for the last four years. He brings scoring, rebounding and tremendous defense. According to Basketball-Reference.com, he is the only player in the league since 2011-12 to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds while coming off the bench.
This year, he's averaging 9.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 25.5 minutes and continues to be one of the league's top defensive power forwards.
Honorable mention here goes to the Bulls' third-string power forward, Nikola Mirotic, who is averaging 8.4 points and 4.5 rebounds. Mirotic is also notching 14.8 points and 6.0 boards per game since the All-Star break.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Tristan Thompson
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Tristan Thompson has emerged as not only the league's best offensive rebounder coming off the bench—he's also third-best in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage, period, grabbing 15.2 percent of his own team's misses.
When a team is facing LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, they count their blessings when they force a miss. With Thompson snaring those, it can become an exercise in futility for the opposition. It's downright frustrating.
Thompson is averaging 7.9 points and 7.6 boards, with 3.4 of those being of the offensive variety.
Dallas Mavericks: Devin Harris
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Devin Harris' numbers—8.4 points and 3.1 assists—might not seem overwhelmingly impressive, but he is the biggest reason that the Mavericks are owners of the sixth-most productive bench in the league.
The Mavericks rotation has fluctuated this year, first after trading for Rajon Rondo, then after acquiring Amar'e Stoudemire once he cleared waivers.
Here's how Harris' minutes have been split: 49 percent as a point guard, 43 percent as a shooting and 8 percent as a small forward. He has been the team's continuity, and his versatility is the key to the Mavericks adapting and producing in spite of the changes.
Denver Nuggets: Jusuf Nurkic
8 of 30I could use this slide to point out Jusuf Nurkic's third-lowest Defensive Real Plus-Minus rating, per ESPN.com. I could explain that he averaged 9.4 points and 9.1 rebounds a game in the month of February before sustaining an ankle sprain. I could note that his season averages of 6.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks all rank first or second on the Nuggets bench.
But instead, I'll point you to this season's most hilarious play in the video above. Nurkic's not only turning out to be one of this year's best rookies, he's also the funniest.
Detroit Pistons: Jodie Meeks
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Jodie Meeks has inherited the Detroit Pistons bench. His 11.5 points per game is more than twice as many as any Pistons reserve who has been with the team for the bulk of the season. Second-best is Anthony Tolliver at just 5.6 points.
Meeks is not particularly efficient. He shoots just 40.3 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from deep, but he's the best the Pistons have to offer. This may have something to do with Detroit having the 20th-ranked bench and a 23-39 record.
Golden State Warriors: Andre Iguodala
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Andre Iguodala has fallen off from his All-Star level of play, but he's become an underrated part of the Golden State Warriors' tremendous season. His numbers aren't indicative of his true value.
He averages 7.4 points, 3.4 boards and 2.9 assists in 27.1 minutes, but he also remains one of the league's elite wing defenders. The Warriors outscore their opponents by 6.0 points per game while he's on the court, and that's a testament to his stopping power.
Honorable mention goes to Marreese Speights, who averages 10.4 points and 4.4 boards.
Houston Rockets: Josh Smith
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Josh Smith has salvaged his season, and perhaps his career, since arriving in Houston. He's averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists while coming off the bench for the Rockets.
Indiana Pacers: Luis Scola
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The Indiana Pacers are making a late-season push to improve their playoff positioning, and power forward Luis Scola has been a big part of that. The Pacers have won 11 of their last 13 games, and Scola is averaging 9.9 points on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent from deep during that stretch.
On the season, he's averaging 9.3 points and 5.8 boards coming off the bench. More importantly, he's only missed one game this year, which, considering the injury issues the Pacers have had, makes him all the more valuable.
Los Angeles Clippers: Jamal Crawford
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Jamal Crawford has been one of the league's elite sixth men for years now. He is a two-time winner of the Sixth Man of the Year award, taking home the honor in 2009-10 and again last season.
Since 2009-10, he's scored a league-high 6,170 points off the bench; that's over 35 percent more than second place J.R. Smith. This year, he's been superb once again, scoring 16.4 points in 26.3 minutes.
And while there's no official stat on ankles broken, there's a good chance he's leading the league in that category as well.
Los Angeles Lakers: Jeremy Lin
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It would be easy to go with the conventional pick here and put in Nick Young—aka Swaggy P—but truth be told, he's not the Lakers' best bench player. That distinction goes to Jeremy Lin.
Young is averaging 13.4 points on 36.6 percent shooting. As a reserve, Lin is averaging 10.4 points on 42.4 percent shooting. Lin is also dishing 4.6 dimes per game and grabbing 2.4 boards compared to Young's 2.3 and 1.0, respectively.
In addition, Lin has scored the third-most fourth-quarter points of any player in the league—starter or reserve—since the All-Star break.
Memphis Grizzlies: Beno Udrih
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The Memphis Grizzlies are a tough team to choose just one player for. While they are tied for the sixth-most effective bench in the NBA, outscoring their opponents by 0.6 points per game, it's because they play as a unit more than because of any one player.
But since that's the case, I'll give this to the guy who makes the second unit go, Beno Udrih, as he leads the Grizz in points (6.9) and assists (2.8) off the bench. That said, honorable mention goes to Kosta Koufos, Vince Carter and Tony Allen, who all could have been named here as well.
Miami Heat: Chris Andersen
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Chris Andersen might not be the Miami Heat's leading scorer off the bench, but he is an instant injection of energy. He averages 4.0 points and 4.2 boards in 17.2 minutes, and of all the Heat's bench players, he has the best plus/minus at minus-0.2.
However, Andersen is the type of player that is impossible to judge by the numbers. Boring is one word that is never used to describe "Birdman." If he's on the court, he's moving and having an impact, whether it shows up in box scores or not.
Milwaukee Bucks: O.J. Mayo
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O.J. Mayo is the only player in NBA history who covers two food groups. He's also the best guy the Milwaukee Bucks have coming off the bench this year.
Mayo is averaging 12.2 points, 3.0 assists and 2.8 boards in 25.1 minutes per game this year. But it's not just that he's scoring, he's helping the Bucks win when he does. They are 7-0 when he scores 19 or more, and 13-3 when he scores at least 15.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Gary Neal
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The Minnesota Timberwolves were a tough call for this distinction. On the one hand, Shabazz Muhammad deserves heavy consideration for his season's work. He averaged 12.4 points in 18.4 minutes off the bench. On the other hand, it looked like he may have been working his way into the starting lineup when he went out for the season.
Neal has been a spark plug for the Wolves, notching 13.3 points, 3.5 boards and 2.0 assists since coming to the Twin Cities. Over his last five games, he's up to 16.8 points on 47.5 percent shooting and 41.2 percent from deep.
New Orleans Pelicans: Ryan Anderson
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Ryan Anderson is the New Orleans Pelicans' premiere player coming off the perch, although he's currently out with a sprained MCL. He's averaging 14.8 points and 5.0 boards as a reserve.
Anderson is one of the league's elite stretch 4s. He is one of only two bench players this year with 500 points, 200 rebounds and 50 three-pointers. With the Pelicans battling the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final playoff spot in the West, they can't get Anderson back soon enough.
New York Knicks: Quincy Acy
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Trying to pick the best Knick off the bench is like trying to determine which of Alfred E. Neuman's zits is the prettiest. The easy answer would've been Tim Hardaway Jr. if he hadn't worked his way into the starting lineup.
Frankly, the Knicks have a really bad starting five, and if you can't crack that lineup, you probably wouldn't be on most NBA teams. So we're going to lower the bar and take Quincy Acy. He only averages 5.4 points and 3.9 boards, but he brings the energy and physical presence that would at least get him a spot on most rosters.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Anthony Morrow
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Dion Waiters might be the more celebrated name off the bench, but Anthony Morrow gives the Oklahoma City Thunder a bigger boost.
Waiters is averaging 10.6 points, but he's doing it on 38.8 percent shooting. Morrow is scoring 9.3 points at a 44.2 percent clip and hitting 38.6 percent from deep. He scores just 1.3 fewer points on 3.2 fewer shots. His team is also plus-3.0 while he's on the court, compared to plus-0.2 with Waiters.
Ergo, we're going to clap for this Thunder.
Orlando Magic: Evan Fournier
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Evan Fournier is part of a pleasant group of young players the Orlando Magic of accrued in the wake of the Dwight Howard trade three seasons ago. As a reserve, he's averaging 8.9 points, 2.2 boards and 1.6 assists in 22.9 minutes per game.
The 22-year-old Frenchman has the potential to be a valuable sixth man in the future. He can generate shots for himself; 43.9 percent of his shots are unassisted. He also has range; he shoots 37.4 percent from deep. He's part of the reason the Magic will be a team to be reckoned with in the near future.
Philadelphia 76ers: Jerami Grant
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The Philadelphia 76ers are basically a combination of young talent—such as Nerlens Noel—and a bunch of D-Leaguers. In addition, they have had a ridiculous amount of personnel turnover this season. In all, they've had 24 players trot out onto the court.
Only half of them have played more than 20 games. And a lot of them, such as Hollis Thompson and Robert Covington, are going back and forth between starter and reserve. Ergo, for the Sixers' boost off the bench, we're going with Jerami Grant, the team's one consistent bench presence.
Grant is averaging 6.1 points and 2.9 boards, but he's here because he's actually played 47 games as a reserve, which is an accomplishment in Philadelphia.
Phoenix Suns: Marcus Morris
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The Phoenix Suns have two candidates worthy of consideration for this selection: power forward Marcus Morris and shooting guard Gerald Green. Green has 673 points off the bench, the fifth-most in the league, but his lack of defense is losing him minutes in the rotation.
Meanwhile, Morris seems to be the one accruing most of those minutes. Since Feb. 1, he's averaging 25.0 minutes, notching 11.2 points and 5.3 boards per game.
Portland Trail Blazers: Chris Kaman
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Chris Kaman leads the Trail Blazers in points (8.6), rebounds (6.0) and blocks (0.9) off the bench, and is second in assists to backup point guard Steve Blake. That makes him a pretty obvious and definitive choice.
So, rather than spending a lot of time justifying the selection, can I just point out that "Caveman" is one of my all-time favorite player nicknames? Every time he comes out on the court, I can't help but yell "CAAAPTAAAIN CAAAVEMAAAN!!!!," much to the bewilderment of my wife.
Sacramento Kings: Carl Landry
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The Sacramento Kings are tied for the second-worst bench in the league, giving up 3.6 more points than they score. But not everything about their second unit is bad. Power forward Carl Landry has played well, averaging 7.2 points on 51.3 percent shooting and grabbing 4.1 boards per game.
In spite of what nearly a decade of futility might suggest, the Kings have parts to work with. Perhaps the arrival of George Karl can turn things around and bring them back into contention next year.
San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobili
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Manu Ginobili is not just the biggest boost off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs, he's arguably the best reserve in the history of the NBA. He's averaging 11.6 points and 4.5 dimes this season, leading the Spurs bench in both categories.
But he's also zeroing in on becoming the first player since 1985 (and probably in NBA history) to amass 6,000 points and 2,000 assists as a reserve. He has won four rings as a critical sixth man, and he may very well be the first player to carve out a Hall of Fame career as a primary reserve.
Toronto Raptors: Lou Williams
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With 944 points, Toronto's Lou Williams leads the NBA in bench scoring this year. More importantly, the Toronto Raptors are plus-248 when he's on the court, and their bench leads the NBA at plus-142 overall.
Ergo, it's not very hard to draw a straight line from Williams being the best bench player in the league to Toronto having the league's best bench. That's why Williams gets my vote for Sixth Man of the Year.
Utah Jazz: Trey Burke
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Trey Burke started the season as the Jazz's starting point guard, but he was demoted in favor of rookie Dante Exum halfway through the season.
As a starter, Burke was averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 32.4 minutes. As a reserve, he's notching 13.8 points 2.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 28.1 minutes. His true shooting percentage has also improved to 46.6 percent, up from 45.9 percent. He's doing more in less time, and he's doing it more efficiently.
He's not just the Jazz's best reserve, he's a better player coming off the bench.
Washington Wizards: Kris Humphries
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Kris Humphries is leading the Washington Wizards with 6.3 rebounds off the bench and is second in scoring with 8.0 points. That gives him a slight nod over Rasual Butler for the Wizards' best reserve, but it comes with a couple of caveats.
First, Washington's bench has been outscored by 145 points this season. The next-worst bench by a team with a winning record is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are minus-32.
Second, Butler was lighting the world on fire at the start of the season, but has since cooled off. He's shooting 32.7 percent from the field since Jan. 28, which is why he's not the nominee here.
All stats for this article were provided by NBA.com/Stats and Basketball-Reference.com.
