NBA History: 5 greatest bench players of the last decade (2010-2019)

#4 Jason Terry

Jason Terry in Game 3 of the Dallas-OKC series in 2011

Jason Terry knew that the Dallas Mavericks were gonna win it all in 2011 before everyone else. He even had a Larry O'Brien trophy tattooed on his biceps before the season started as motivation for him and his teammates.

A 6'2" guard, Terry spent four years in college before declaring for the draft where he was selected with the 9th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in 1999. It was with the Dallas Mavericks where Jason Terry further flourished. In the 2008-2009 season, Terry averaged 19.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds; a statline that eventually won him the Sixth Man of the Year.

Come the start of this decade, Terry averaged 15.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.1 steals in the 2010-11 season. He took it to the next level as he played a crucial role in the Mavs' championship run--one of the most impressive title runs by an NBA team. LeBron James had a hard time guarding him and Terry was able to slow down LeBron as they beat the Miami Heat 4-2.

Terry's durability is what anyone would want from an ideal bench player. Since his rookie year up to the 2007-08 season, he only missed 12 games (yes,12 games in that 9-year span!). But since we're talking about performances this decade, Looking at JET's stats from 2009-2018, he played a total of 610 games, which is incredibly impressive for someone who was 32 to 40 years old throughout that stretch.

Jason Terry's durability and reliability was absolutely ridiculous. The guard always played all out on both offense and defense. He was a great locker room guy and was always relentless on the floor.

#3 Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom declared for the NBA Draft in 1999 and was selected fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. The 6'10 forward put up an incredible 30-point and 10-rebound in his NBA debut, and was eventually named All-Rookie First Team in 2000.

Lamar didn't start his career as a sixth man, but on the 2008-09 season with the Lakers, then-coach Phil Jackson declared that he would be coming off the bench behind Ariza, Gasol, and Bynum. This proved to be genius as Odom was key to was key to the Lakers' back-to-back championship in 2009 and 2010.

In the 2010-2011 season, Lamar Odom averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 0.7 blocks. He eventually won Sixth Man of the Year.

Perhaps one of the best players off the bench in NBA History, Odom was one of the first bigs in this decade to move and handle the ball like a guard. At 6'10", he could score from anywhere on the floor and could dish out timely assists. Odom was also great defender. He used his size matched with his agility to slow down the opposing player, no matter how great that player was at scoring.

The numbers he put up can't fully justify just how great he played this decade. Lamar Odom was the perfect complement to a star player in a championship team. He truly embraced his role off the bench and was great at it.