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Most important sixth men in the NBA postseason
Evan Turner has become a key bench cog for the Boston Celtics. Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

Most important sixth men in the NBA postseason

Clippers shooting guard Jamal Crawford won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award, Tuesday, becoming the first player in NBA history to win the honor three times. Crawford, 36, has been a stalwart coming off the bench for whichever team he has suited up for his entire NBA career. A player who is fantastic at attacking his defender off the dribble, Crawford is the prototype for what a “sixth man” in the NBA should be: a player who can come in off the bench and carry the offense for the second unit of his team.

With the Crawford and Clippers in playoff mode, let’s take a look at a few other sixth men who should make an impact for their teams this postseason.

1) Andre Iguodala

The 2015 NBA Finals MVP, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the 73-9 regular-season record-setting Golden State Warriors didn’t have the services of Andre Iguodala for extended stretches of the year. Iggy, hampered by ankle and knee issues, missed 17 games in the regular season and scored a career-low seven points per night.

But alas, that was the regular season, and this is the NBA postseason. In the Warriors' Monday night win over the Rockets (sans Stephen Curry), Iguodala was back to his old self. He scored 18 off the bench on 7-10 shooting and was a menace on the defensive side of the floor as well.

The Warriors' hopes of repeating as champions largely hinge on the status of Stephen Curry’s injured ankle, but don’t overlook the role Andre Iguodala plays on the Dubs.

2) Iman Shumpert

In what feels like a bizarre role reversal, the Cleveland Cavaliers start iso-scorer J.R. Smith at the two guard and bring a more natural perimeter defender in Iman Shumpert off the bench. For most playoff teams, this dynamic is the other way around, but the Cavs aren’t most playoff teams.

Fueled by the star power of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, head coach Tyronn Lue can always leave at least one of his All-Stars on the floor at all times to provide offense. What coach Lue can’t afford to be absent on the floor is at least one quality perimeter defender. Enter Iman Shumpert, stage left.

Although it has been a tough year for the fifth-year guard out of Georgia Tech, Shumpert’s importance to the Cavs' long-term prospects can’t be underestimated. Simply put, backcourt teammates Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova aren’t capable of the type of spark-plug defense Shumpert can play. He isn’t packaged like your typical sixth man, but that doesn’t make him any less important to his team.

3) Boris Diaw

Remember in the 2014 NBA Finals when Boris Diaw was absolutely destroying LeBron James and the Miami Heat with his power in the low post, killer passing and ability to make an occasional three? Well, the San Antonio Spurs need that player to show up again if they hope to make a run at the NBA Finals.

Diaw, 34, isn’t as spry as he used to be, but the wily old veteran is still an extremely skilled player and can still act as the spark Gregg Popovich needs for his second unit.

4) Evan Turner

The second overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Evan Turner has failed to live up to the lofty expectations that come with such a high draft selection. However, in his second year with the Celtics, Turner has established himself as the team’s sixth man, and he is a good one at that. Turner, who averaged 10-5-4 in the regular season, finished fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

With Boston starter Avery Bradley now expected to miss the remainder of the playoff series against the Hawks with a hamstring injury, Turner’s importance to the Celtics becomes magnified. Marcus Smart will likely slide into Bradley’s spot in the starting lineup, meaning Turner will have to raise his game another notch coming off the bench.

Down 1-0 in the series, it is imperative for Brad Stevens' squad that Turner give the Celtics 30-plus quality minutes off of the bench if the they hope to come back in this series.

5) C.J. Miles

Although conventional wisdom would suggest that Rodney Stuckey is the Pacers' sixth man, in reality it’s C.J. Miles who plays the role for Indiana. Miles' ability to both stretch the floor and create his own shot at small forward allow Pacers star Paul George to slide over and play the power forward position — a spot head coach Frank Vogel seems to love to see his best player at.

Miles has only averaged 19 minutes through two games against the Raptors, but with the series tied 1-1, an uptick in minutes off the bench (and three-point shots) could be a variable that helps sway the series in favor of an Indiana upset.

6) Patrick Patterson

Raptors forward Patrick Patterson gives us a glimpse into how NBA basketball has changed over the last 10 years or so. Fiften years ago, the six-foot-nine Patterson would have been molded into a bruising power forward who plays rugged defense and is always hovering around the basket. In the present-day NBA, Patterson is a stretch-four, whose ability to make three-pointers is what keeps him on the floor for Raptors head coach Dwane Casey.

Suddenly in a dogfight with the Pacers, the Toronto Raptors need all the scoring they can get off of their bench. That scoring isn’t going to come from Bismack Biyombo or Terrence Ross. As this series continues to progress, look for Patterson’s playing time to increase.

7) Justise Winslow

With Chris Bosh unlikely to return to the lineup due to issues recovering from a blood clot, the Miami Heat has been forced to play a ton of small-ball. Luol Deng has been starting at power forward, and head coach Erik Spoelstra has even been forced to trot out the corpse of Amar’e Stoudemire from time to time.

Also of note, Spoelstra played rookie Justise Winslow 27 minutes in Game 1 of Miami's series against the Charlotte Hornets. Winslow, who had a subpar regular season, suddenly finds himself as the first forward off of the Heat bench. What the 20-year-old lacks in experience he makes up for in athleticism and confidence. Winslow didn’t look out of place playing nearly 30 minutes of playoff basketball in his last game, so expect Spoelstra to lean on the rookie even more as the postseason progresses.

8) Dion Waiters

Oh boy, where do we even start with Dion Waiters? The 24-year-old Thunder guard clearly has the talent to play in the NBA but is just so frustrating to watch. Outside of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Waiters is really Oklahoma City’s only other offensive threat on the perimeter. He has the ability to come off of the bench and create his own shot; the problem is that shot is usually a bad shot.

The fourth-year pro out of Syracuse had a poor regular season, shooting under 40 percent from the field. But again, the talent is there for Waiters to succeed, particularly in the role as a sixth man. If he can give Billy Donovan’s squad 20 solid, efficient minutes per game off the bench, it would go tremendously far in taking some pressure off of Durant and Westbrook.

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