Sixth Man of the Year 

Corpuel: Derrick Rose

As a Knicks and Derrick Rose fan, it was enjoyable seeing Rose look the most like his old self since, well, he was his old self. On a Knicks squad that lacked consistent on-ball scoring — especially in the playoffs — Rose was a lone reliable scoring option, and it was clear that the Knicks were a better team when he was on the floor. However, it was also clear that the burden was far too heavy on Rose with him as the starting point guard; he looked exhausted in the second half of games, especially in the playoffs when he was New York’s top scoring option. With a (hopefully) healthy Kemba Walker now taking over the starting point guard role for New York, Rose should thrive as a reliable bench option, exactly where he should be playing. 

Kotelanski: Jordan Clarkson

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Jordan Clarkson repeated as the 6th man of the year. Clarkson proved to the league last year that he can play at the All-Star level coming off of the bench. It’d been a while since a 6th man was as efficient as Clarkson last year, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be as great this year too.

Weinstein: Alex Caruso

Memes aside, Alex Caruso is going to be a crucial part of the Bulls this year. He’s an excellent playmaker with an incredible IQ that will create scoring opportunities for Zach Lavine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. He’ll be backing up Lonzo Ball, who is also an elite playmaker who, although he had a somewhat disappointing start to his NBA career, has shown a lot of growth and potential recently. I can’t wait to see him in action on what’s likely to be an exciting Bulls team.

Rice: Tyler Herro

After a somewhat disappointing season for Tyler Herro, especially after an atrocious playoff performance in which he scored just nine points per game and was wildly inefficient, I think Herro is due for a bounce back season off the bench. The Heat will likely start Lowry, Robinson, Butler, Tucker, and Bam. With the departure of Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn, Herro will have a sizable role on a Heat squad that should contend for home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference.