The New York Knicks could see multiple reserves contend for the 2026 Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Knicks: Jordan Clarkson could contend for 6MOY
The Knicks have not had a Sixth Man of the Year recipient since JR Smith took home honors in 2013. New York has had many great natural scorers come off their bench since then — the likes of Bojan Bogdanovic as well as Donte DiVincenzo.
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New Knicks star guard Jordan Clarkson will be tasked with being the next much-needed offensive spark plug for New York. He can revive the lowest-scoring bench last season, which scored 21.7 points per game.
Clarkson already won the prestigious accolade in 2021. Having averaged 17.8 points per game over the last five seasons, the 11-year veteran will have free rein to score in bunches, which will put him in a great position to add another trophy to his resume.
Knicks’ Guerschon Yabusele is another 6MOY candidate
While Clarkson’s metrics — 15.1 field goal attempts, 7.3 three-point attempts, along with an 84.2 percent connect rate from the foul line in that five-year span— all point toward his aggression spilling over into New York’s attack, Guerschon Yabusele will be another candidate to watch in the award race.
Yabusele had a great 2024-25 campaign. The 29-year-old averaged 11 points along with 5.6 rebounds per night for the Philadelphia 76ers. He also made 1.5 threes per night on 38 percent shooting.
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Much like Clarkson, Yabusele — coming off a notable Eurobasket 2025 performance — will have many opportunities to score off the bench in Knicks head coach Mike Brown’s offense.
Minnesota Timberwolves big man Naz Reid, who won the award in 2024, did so off the strength of 13.5 points alongside 5.2 rebounds per night. Thus, with more looks from the field, Yabusele could put up a similar stat line while adding energy to the Knicks’ second unit.