Sixth Man of the Year?
New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson has challenged Brandon Jennings to win the 2016-17 Sixth Man of the Year award. It’s a lofty goal on paper, but Jennings is a career starter with postseason experience.
Thus, it stands to reason that Jackson’s challenge hasn’t fallen on deaf ears, but instead landed with arguably the most viable candidate in the NBA.
Jennings enters 2016-17 with career averages of 15.5 points, 5.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.8 3-point field goals made. He boasts a career slash line of .390/.350/.799, which is both inefficient from the field and ideal in the other two areas.
If Jennings were to post those exact numbers on a winning Knicks team in 2016-17, it’d be hard to argue against him winning Sixth Man of the Year.
Jennings can consistently create offense for himself and others, which few Sixth Man of the Year award winners have been able to do. No Sixth Man of the Year has averaged at least 4.0 assists since Manu Ginobili in 2007-08 or 5.0 assists since Aaron McKie in 200-01.
The last Sixth Max of the Year to average at least 6.0 assists was Darrell Armstrong in 1998-99.
Must Read: Knicks players worth drafting in fantasy basketball
If Jennings can produce as both a scorer and a facilitator, he’ll be on the fast track to the 2017 Sixth Man of the Year award.