The bench king! Who will be the sixth man in the new season?

In April this year, Celtic defender Prichard won the sixth man in the 2024-25 season. This not-so-tall defender has contributed an outstanding season to this strong team.

As the 2025-26 season is about to kick off, who can win the Sixth Man Award for the new season has also begun to become a topic and is worth predicting.

is different from other individual awards. The best sixth person has clear selection criteria, and players must mainly play as a substitute. This means whether a player can be selected depends largely on the coach's arrangement, as well as the team's injuries and rotation strategies, so the prediction before the start of the season seems difficult to be accurate, after all, there are too many accidents in the middle of the season.

But despite this, we can still predict eight potential candidates based on the existing lineup and player characteristics:

Naz Reed (Minnesota Timberwolves)

As the best sixth man in the 2023-24 season, Naz Reed, with stable inside output and excellent offense, as long as nothing unexpected happens, he should still be able to sit firmly on the candidate list.

The Timberwolves are currently starting in the frontcourt with Gobert and Randall, and Reed's value is mainly reflected in the bench. His low singles and mid-range shooting are still the main support for the team to provide firepower at critical moments. As long as the team's lineup remains healthy and the record can stabilize the first half of the Western Conference, Reed will undoubtedly become a hot spot for the award again.

DeAndre Hunter (Cleveland Cavaliers)

No surprise, Hunter is a striker with excellent scoring skills and served as the first-choice substitute most of the time last season with the Hawks and the Cavaliers. If this role is still set in the new season, he will naturally have the opportunity to show himself in high-intensity competitions.

But it should be noted that Hunter's starting lineup is quite likely, especially considering the Cavaliers' core injury risks, he is likely to be topped off, which will also affect his chance to win the sixth man.

Jared McCain (Philadelphia 76ers)

Last season, McCain missed most of the season due to injury, but he averaged 15.3 points per game in 23 games and shot as high as 58.9% from the field. For the talented defender, his starting combination with Maxi has not yet been determined, but McCain's ability and efficiency are enough to make him a shiny business card.

If he can stay healthy in the new season and play the role of the third guard of the 76ers, he has every potential to become the sixth man of the year.

Alexander Walker (Atlanta Hawks)

Walker is not a scoring substitute in the traditional sense, but his comprehensive ability and on-field influence cannot be ignored.

Last year, he ranked seventh in the Timberwolves' Best Sixth Man selection. After joining the Hawks in the new season, he will still play a key rotation role. If the Hawks perform well overall in the new season, Walker has a full chance to win substitute recognition with his efficient performance.

Ty Jerome (Memphis Grizzlies)

Jerome performed well with the Cavaliers last season, averaging 12.5 points and 3.4 assists per game, and a three-point shooting percentage of 43.9%.

After transferring to the Grizzlies this summer, the future role is expected to be similar to that of the Cavaliers. If he can maintain efficient shooting and stable output, he also has a chance to become a strong contender for the sixth man in the new season.

Caruso (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Caruso may be different from the above. He is not a data player, but his defensive value is unmatched.

As the defending champion, the Thunder has successfully retained the entire team in the new season and is still expected to achieve good results in the new season. Caruso's all-round defense and game experience means that he can have a place in the list of the best sixth man shortlist.

Okonggu (Atlanta Hawks)

Okonggu has been the starting center of the Hawks since the end of last season, but this summer the Hawks introduced Porzingis and his playing time is likely to be compressed. But even if the substitute is transferred, Okonggu's stable inside output ability should not decline much. In the past 40 games last season, he averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game. If he can maintain his playing time of about 25 minutes per game in the new season, he will also have the strength to compete for the best sixth man.

Pritchard, Simmons Jr. (Boston Celtics)

As defending players, Pritchard, who is still at the top, is naturally worth leaving his name on the shortlist, unless he loses his qualification due to too many starters.

The Celtics will be Derek White as the backcourt starter, and Prichard or Simmons Jr. will rotate to play as a substitute guard. Considering Tatum's absence in the new season, no matter which player serves as the core of the bench, both of them have the ability to put out enough data to compete for this honor.

Prichard last season has proved his sixth man strength. As for the newly introduced Simmons, he has proved the scoring value at the Trail Blazers. Combined with him and the contract situation, perhaps he needs some scoring data to win opportunities for the future, and if these standards can be met, he will naturally have a chance to enter the sixth man candidate list.