NBA Sixth Man of the Year: April Power Rankings
Our NBA Sixth Man of the Year power rankings will soon come to an end, with teams' first rotation options as important as ever in chasing seed.
Over the past five seasons, the LA Clippers have benefitted the most from their sixth men, with Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and Jamal Crawford playing crucial roles in the franchise's recent success.
A Clippers player won't pick up the award this time around, though it could still go to a Western Conference star.
April Power Rankings: Top 5 candidates for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award
There has been a considerable shake-up in our power rankings for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
Goran Dragic and Eric Gordon have fallen down the rankings to make way for a player on the verge of making NBA history from the field and another who could win the trophy for the second season in a row.
Meanwhile, our other three choices are all trying their best to stem their respective side's downward spiral.
Without further ado, let's take a look at our April power rankings for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
#5 Joe Ingles
2020-21 Season Record - MPG: 26.6 PPG: 11.7 AST: 4.1 REB: 3.6 FG%: 52.6
Previous NBA power rankings - N/A
Entering our power rankings for NBA Sixth Man of the Year is Utah Jazz three-point specialist Joe Ingles.
The Australian is averaging an NBA-leading effective field-goal percentage of 70.1%. He averages close to 50% (49.2%) from beyond the arc, which is a career-high for him. The 33-year-old also boasts an offensive rating at 134.
Everything seems to be going right for the Utah Jazz this season, and Ingles is yet another strong piece on the franchise's roster.
He can easily fill in for one of the starters due to his unwavering fitness, having played every game for the Utah Jazz in the last 4 years.
#4 Terrence Ross
2020-21 Season Record - MPG: 29.6 PPG: 16.2 AST: 2.4 REB: 3.5 FG%: 40.8
Previous NBA power rankings - 3rd (↓1)
Terrence Ross was one of the few remaining Orlando Magic players after their firesale at the trade deadline. Since then, he has led his team in scoring with 17.8 points per night and has grabbed 3.2 assists.
Ross drops one place in our NBA Sixth Man of the Year power rankings due to Montrezl Harrell's emergence and his offensive rating, which is only 102.
Regardless, Ross has been one of the more impressive players in a pretty awful season for the Orlando Magic and could still make a run for the award now that he is the team's leader on offense.
#3 Chris Boucher
2020-21 Season Record - MPG: 23.6 PPG: 13.7 AST: 1.0 REB: 6.5 FG%: 52.0
Previous NBA power rankings - 2nd (↓1)
A lot has been made about the Toronto Raptors' 4th-year big man. Chris Boucher has burst onto the scene this season and is in the running for both the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award and the Most Improved Player award.
He has more than doubled his production from last year, averaging an extremely efficient 13.7 points per night, and has an exceptional offensive rating of 128.
Over the Raptors' last ten matchups, Boucher ranked second only to Pascal Siakam for rebounds per game, though on 14 minutes less. He also shot at 85% from the line, almost 10% higher than his season average.
#2 Montrezl Harrell
2020-21 Season Record - MPG: 24.7 PPG: 14.7 AST: 1.1 REB: 6.7 FG%: 63.0
Previous NBA power rankings - N/A
In LeBron James and Anthony Davis' absence, Montrezl Harrell has had to step up in a big way for the LA Lakers.
After winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award last season, Harrell has continued his fine form in the current campaign. In the past ten matchups, he has averaged 15.6 points, only .6 shy of Dennis Schroder, who averages more than eight minutes extra per night.
Despite having a shaky start with the Lakers, Harrell quickly upped his 12 points a night in January to 19.5 in March. With the arrival of Andre Drummond, it will be interesting to see how the 27-year-old is used by coach Frank Vogel.
At the moment, Harrell is the only player who can threaten Jordan Clarkson in our power rankings for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
#1 Jordan Clarkson
2020-21 Season Record - MPG: 25.4 PPG: 17.2 AST: 2.2 REB: 3.9 FG%: 42.2
Previous NBA power rankings - 1st (-)
Jordan Clarkson is still comfortably leading the way in our NBA Sixth Man of the Year power rankings.
The Utah Jazz star has taken his game to another level this year. He is recording career-high numbers in points and rebounds and is having his most efficient campaign (per 36 minutes).
The 28-year-old has been a major reason for the Utah Jazz's success this season and ranks second among his teammates for points per matchup. He is also averaging a league-leading 95.5% free-throw accuracy.
Among the bookmakers, Clarkson is the favorite to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award with 20 games still to go.