2020 NBA AWARDS SEASON

The 2020 NBA Bench Mob All Stars

Anyone can make 1st Team All-NBA. What about 31st Team All-NBA? Bench players matter too in the NBA, and it’s time we give them their due…

THE NBA AWARDS A LONE SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD TO THE LEAGUE’S MOST OUTSTANDING BENCH PLAYER, but depth matters so much more than that. Each NBA team fields 13 active players, and only five of them can start. A whopping 514 men played NBA minutes this year, and that number will go up once the season resumes. Only 150 of them start. That’s over 70% of the league coming off the bench.

It’s a star-driven league, but depth keeps teams healthy and strong. It keeps those stars’ minutes manageable, so they don’t have to rush back on no rest, lest their bench blow another lead. Sixth Man of the Year has become an afterthought, a way to recognize the volume-scoring bench guard of the year. The last eight 6MOY winners were score-first guards averaging at least 14ppg. The NBA is about more than points. We’ve adjusted the rest of our awards accordingly; why do we still fail to properly value the bench guys?

Benches are so much more than volume scoring. Benches give teams versatility and depth, providing scoring punch and defensive kick. The bench makes all the difference for title contenders like the Bucks, Raptors, and Clippers, and benches will be more important than ever in these 2020 playoffs. Stars can’t play all 48…