First some minor things. I'll be creating this team with the intention of them playing in the present NBA, rules, mindset, and all. Since I only became an NBA fan in the mid-to-late 90s my bias will be towards players I've seen play. Anyway, on to my lineup. I'll be getting their averages from their Sixth Man of the Year season from basketball-reference.com and adding it here.
I'll be posting their stats in this format ppg / rpg (oreb) / apg / spg / bpg / topg fg% / 3p% / ft%.
Center
Kevin McHale. 1983 - 1984.
18.4 / 7.4 (2.5) / 1.3 / 0.3 / 1.5/ 1.8 .556 / .333/ .765
McHale is a low post beast, from what I've read about him in Bill Simmons' Book of Basketball. Don't let the 3p% fool you, he didn't even average 0.1 3pa in that season. Aside from that McHale is the only other big man I'd consider capable of playing center in the current NBA among those Sixth Man Award winners. Bill Walton was a lot older and injured when he won in 1986 and as impressive as Roy Tarpley's numbers were when he won in 1988, I never saw him play and all I know about him was he got banned for substance abuse issues for a few years. Also, rest in peace Roy Tarpley.
Forwards
Clifford Robinson. 1992 - 1993.
19.1 / 6.6 (2.0) / 2.2 / 1.2 / 2.0 / 2.1 .473 / .247 / .690
Toni Kukoc. 1995 - 1996.
13.4 / 4.0 (1.4) / 3.5 / 0.8 / 0.3 / 1.4 .490 / .403 / .772
For the two starting forwards I'm going with Clifford Robinson and Toni Kukoc. Uncle Cliffy is getting the start because of his defensive numbers, something I never expected. I always remember him as a stretch 4 / early stretch 5 during his twilight years in the NBA. I never knew he had good defensive numbers. Kukoc gets the nod at the other forward slot because despite his lack of defense, his range and passing skills will help the team keep the ball moving and give enough floor spacing for this team.
Guards
Manu Ginobili. 2007 - 2008.
19.5 / 4.8 (0.9) / 4.5 / 1.5 / 0.4 / 2.7 .460 / .401 / .860
Darrell Armstrong. 1998 - 1999.
13.8 / 3.6 (1.1) / 6.7 / 2.2 / 0.1 / 3.2 .441 / .365 / .904
I'm choosing Manu Ginobili and Darrel Armstrong to start. Armstrong is there for his defense, and Manu gets to start because he has the size and best all-around numbers among the guards I've chosen. Darrell Armstrong is also more of a traditional point guard so he would also help in ball movement and not try to do all the scoring by himself. I could have gone with Lou Will but I honestly feel that his size and defensive shortcomings would be to the detriment of the starters. Plus a Lou Will and Darrell Armstrong lineup would be too small in my opinion.
Now that we're done with the starters, let's focus on my core "big three" players off the bench. These guys will be getting the majority of playing time off the bench because of their versatility and scoring prowess.
Key bench players
Lou Williams. 2017 - 2018.
22.6 / 2.5 (0.5) / 5.3 / 1.1 / 0.2 / 3.0 .435 / .359 / .880
Lamar Odom. 2010 - 2011.
Lamar Odom. 2010 - 2011.
14.4 / 8.7 (2.1) / 3.0 / 0.6 / 0.7 / 1.7 .530 / .382 / .675
James Harden. 2011 - 2012.
16.8 / 4.1 (0.5) / 3.7 / 1.0 / 0.2 / 2.2 .491 / .390 / .846
Lou Williams would be THE sixth man in this all sixth man team. He provides instant offense, range, and some playmaking at the cost of defense. Lamar Odom gives the starting five a tenacious rebounder and good playmaker at the big man slot, plus he can spend some spot minutes at the center position if needed. I'm also a huge Odom stan so I'm making him the first forward / big man off the bench. James Harden is a taller Lou Williams, but at this stage of his career he still wasn't the MVP James Harden we all know today.
Rounding out the second five
Detlef Schrempf. 1991 - 1992.
17.3 / 9.6 (2.5) / 3.9 / 0.8 / 0.5 / 2.4 .536 / .324 / .828
Anthony Mason. 1994 - 1995.
9.9 / 8.4 (2.4) / 3.1 / 0.9 / 0.3 / 1.6 .566 / .000 / .641
Schrempf has similar stats to Odom, and he also provides nearly the same skill set as Odom. Mase (also rest in peace, Anthony Mason) would be the de facto center off the bench. He was also one of the early prototypical point forwards in Don Nelson's Knicks experiment. This rounds out the second unit.
The specialists
Mike Miller. 2005 - 2006.
13.7 / 5.4 (0.6) / 2.7 / 0.7 / 0.4 / 1.9 .466 / .407 / .800
Dell Curry. 1993 - 1994.
16.3 / 3.2 (0.9) / 2.7 / 1.2 / 0.3 / 1.5 .455 / .402 / .873
Bobby Jackson. 2002 - 2003.
15.2 / 3.7 (1.0) / 3.1 / 1.2 / 0.1 / 1.8 .464 / .379 / .846
This brings us to the remaining players who, I believe, are versatile enough to fill different roles and positions for this team. Miller can play shooting guard and small forward while Jackson can play point and shooting guard. Dell Curry and Mike Miller are both excellent 3-point shooters, while Bobby Jackson, from what I remember, was great for his hustle and defense.
So there we go, my thirteen man NBA lineup featuring players who won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. Looking at my lineup it does appear that the team is lacking in the center category, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make in exchange for versatility. Besides, only one true center won the award. The team also appears to be a bit lacking in terms of defense but with all the offensive firepower we have I think this team can at least make the playoffs.
I'm imagining McHale or Manu would be the "alpha" of the team. Remember that I'm picking the players based on the year they won sixth man so Harden still hasn't unlocked his unstoppable game and MVP caliber mindset.
As for the coach, I'm honestly feeling Don Nelson as the head coach of this team. I honestly think he can unlock the offensive potential of this team. He would probably need a good defensive coordinator as his lead assistant coach, though.
Anyway, that's my team. Feel free to make your own lineup.
Out.
