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Portland Trail Blazers: Playing “hot or cold” on the Blazers’ 2020-21 award aspirations

By Marlow Ferguson Jr.

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Carmelo Anthony, Gary Trent Jr., Portland Trail Blazers (Mandatory Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports) /

No. 4: Anthony / Gary Trent Jr.’s 6MOTY chase —— HOT

There are a couple of things history can tell us about past Sixth Man of the Year winners: (1) playing on a championship contender is a boost, but it isn’t a necessity. (2) Defense isn’t a prerequisite. As long as you’re a nightly 15-to-20-point threat, you’re in the running. (3) Being a well-known commodity before the season absolutely helps.

Let’s elaborate: dating back to 2004-05, Sixth Man of the Year winners have played on teams that averaged 52.4 wins (adjusted for 2011-12 and 2019-20’s shortened seasons). This isn’t akin to Lillard’s situation with the Most Valuable Player case, where one almost must have his team atop the standings. Here are the seeds for the last five winners: the No. 4 seed, No. 3, No. 10, No. 8, and No. 2.

We attacked the cases of Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. in more in-depth analysis a few weeks ago. But the storylines are already taking form.

Just yesterday, Anthony took social media for a storm, returning to his vintage, cornrow-style hair that flashes back to Denver. The Hall of Famer’s career arc and reinvention effectively takes itself full circle if not only showcases his ability to play well off the bench … but wins a Sixth Man of the Year in the process? Imagine that.

Beneath the visceral, hopeful impact, unbiased film offers glimmers of hope, too. Sixth Man of the Year winners, historically, have taken the floor in late-game situations with the game on the line. And whether it be Anthony, Trent Jr., or both, there’s a surefire bet for one of the two to be on the floor, hitting shots the way they did during the truncated 2019-20 season in Orlando.

Dennis Schroder’s recent comments about his desire to start, paired with Montrezl Harrell’s transition to the Lakers, softens the challenge. Oddsmakers don’t see the Blazers as threats. Bovada has over a dozen players ahead of Trent Jr. in the race, and Anthony has no mention.

This will depend largely on how much Stotts trusts his bench. He’s rarely, if ever, had one with this much potential. If the Blazers bench can become a reason why the team is winning, as they showed they could when Trent Jr. emerged, they could have a few sneaky candidates.