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Since the birth of the modern basketball game, most NBA teams have stopped depending only on their starting five to deliver high scoring performances. The birth of the bench mob has given teams and their All-Star players an escape route. By recruiting players who are willing to come off the bench and put forward decent contributions, basketball games have not only been overturned but led to incredible comebacks and mind-blowing finishes.
These players are usually a gamble because once they carry their momentum into the season, the team starts to depend on these players to put into regular performances coming off the bench. Only a few are recognized for their match-winning performances.
Some of these rotation players would start games strategically and sometimes provide cover for the regular starters. All teams require a Batman, but what is Batman without Robin. These players understand that and embrace the Robin role in the squad.
George Jesse Hill Jr. - Sacramento Kings/Cleveland Cavaliers
He started his career playing with the San Antonio Spurs being the 26th Overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. His rookie seasons were spent as Tony Parker's understudy. Now at Cleveland, he is mostly picked up ahead of Jose Calderon as the starting point guard in certain games.
He can also come off the bench and put has put in decent numbers this season averaging 10.2 Points per game, almost 2.8 assists per game and averaging a 45% field goal percentage. This season, he has embraced the role of being the team Robin, unlike Isaiah Thomas who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier at the mid-season trade deadline.
Marco Stefano Belinelli (Atlanta Hawks/Philadelphia 76ers)
The Italian shooting guard enjoyed five bright years in Europe before moving to the NBA. He played on the Spurs team, that dismantled the Miami Heat in the 2014 Finals. He also won the three-point shootout at the 2014 All-Star Weekend.
Starting this season with the Atlanta Hawks, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers this midseason. He has started only one game this season, shooting a 43.2% field goal percentage and averaging almost 11.5 points per game. Shooting in transition has always been his strength, not to mention his impressive 91.5% on free throws.
Eric Ambrose Gordon Jr. (Houston Rockets)
The Houston Rockets are enjoying a season they would never want to forget. They have outscored many teams in the NBA. Yes, James Harden is their main man, but the contribution on both ends of the floor by Eric Gordon is remarkable. He struggled in the start of the season playing as a starter for the injured Chris Paul.
Again he rediscovered his best form when he was moved back to the bench. He is also the reigning Sixth Man award winner and is in contention this season to bag the award again. He also won the All-Star three-point shootout in the 2017 version.
When you watch him play, he would notice his unorthodox shooting ark but that has not stopped the man from averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting a 43.1% field goal average this season. In the absence of Harden and Capela against the Chicago Bulls recently, Gordon put up a massive 31-point display showing his versatility as a basketball player.
Aaron Jamal Crawford (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Jamal Crawford has been a force to deal with in the NBA. Hailing from Seattle along with the likes of Jason Terry and Nate Robinson, he has spent 18 seasons playing for numerous teams in the NBA. He played with the LA Clippers for five seasons where he played as Chris Paul's deputy.
He mostly came off the bench and put up huge numbers which won them plenty of games. His days with the Knicks are also to be remembered for his dribbling and scoring exploits.
Crawford is a three-time winner of the Sixth Man Award with two different teams and a record for the most number of four-point plays in the NBA. It is surprising that this player with all his scoring exploits has never appeared in an All-Star game. This season, he is scoring a decent 10.5 Points per game and maintains a 41.7% field goal percentage and still a strong contender for the Sixth Man Award.
Louis Tyrone Williams (LA Clippers)
Louis Tyrone Williams is finding his rhythm again in the NBA with the Clippers. He has been solid offensively and doing his defensive duties to perfection. Losing Blake Griffin was just the perfect excuse Ty Williams needed to step up and move from a sixth man to a starter for the Clippers. He has been taking responsibility for the scoring and ever since Christmas, almost every time he scored 25+ points in a game, the Clippers have won, overturning their horrible start to the season of 11-18.
This season, he has scored 22.8 points per game and his field goal percentage at 43.7%. Since becoming a regular at the Clippers he has made 91% of his free throws just one below Steph Curry. He won the sixth man award in the year 2015 with the Toronto Raptors and will be seen as a top contender for the Sixth Man Award.
Guess the Lakers players!
