Midseason NBA awards ballot: Is Sixers’ Joel Embiid MVP?
2022 midseason NBA awards ballot: Sixth Man of the Year
- Tyler Herro, Heat
- Kevin Love, Cavaliers
- Montrezl Harrell, Wizards
Tyler Herro has pretty much run away with this award. There’s a pretty significant gap between him and the No. 2 spot right now, with Herro averaging 20.1 points and 4.0 assists for one of the East’s foremost contenders. The only potential knock on his case is games started (10 out of 44 appearances), but when the Heat are healthy, Herro is locked into a bench role — a role he clearly thrives in.
That said, the other two names on my ballot deserve recognition too. Kevin Love has adjusted well to life in the second unit, helping Cleveland to its high standing in the East with averages of 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds on .435/.394/.871 shooting splits. The Cavs’ frontcourt is loaded, but Love still harbors the talent that once made him a perennial All-Star. He’s older and slower now, but his 3-point stroke, rebounding, and basketball I.Q. are invaluable for a young Cavs team.
Montrezl Harrell has been similarly excellent in a bench role, returning to the form that once won him Sixth Man of the Year with the Clippers. Washington’s general dysfunction and insistence on playing three centers has not helped Harrell, but he’s clearly the best player in Washington’s frontcourt when given the opportunity to shine. Given his smaller stature (6-foot-7, 240 pounds), Harrell’s elite scoring efficiency (14.1 points on 65.2 percent shooting) is wildly impressive.
The other big candidate here is Jordan Clarkson, who won last season and fulfills the standard “Sixth Man of the Year” archetype of the small guard who shoots a lot and scores a lot. That said, Clarkson’s dwindling efficiency and Utah’s recent struggles keep him on the outside looking in right now.