Best Off the Bench: Crowning GSB's 6th Man of the Year

by WeRBadGamers

Best Off the Bench

Crowning GSB's 6th Man of the Year

By WeRBadGamers

The term "bench" or "benched" in sports, especially basketball, often carries a negative connotation. It’s typically used to describe a player who is not yet ready to make a significant impact on the team or as a form of punishment. "Head to the bench!" an angry coach might shout in frustration after a careless mistake. It implies that the player hasn’t quite put it all together yet—otherwise, they’d be a starter.

But for a 6th Man, the bench is far from a punishment; it’s quite the opposite. It's their sanctuary, their luxury car, their mansion, their paycheck. The bench is where they build their legacy.

Teams have come to understand this and have strategically figured out ways to harness the role, often placing a leader or bucket-getter in that spot to keep the team competitive during all rotations. In many cases, the 6th Man is just as essential to a team's success as any starter.

I see it like this: figuratively, they’re the medic who jumps into the fray, giving their team just enough life support to stay in the fight while also taking out a few bad guys themselves. Winning 6th Man of the Year means you’ve shown the skill to not only keep pace with the starters but sometimes even surpass them in productivity despite fewer minutes and less usage.

Winning 6th Man of the Year is validation, awarded to a player who doesn’t sulk over not being a "starter." Instead, they thrive in their role, contributing significantly in the minutes they do get or excelling in their specialized duty.

This season, the 6th Man of the Year belongs to none other than Baltimore Constellation's Tim Riggins. Riggins was the hard-hitting second punch in Baltimore's 1-2 combo, playing a vital role in the Constellation’s success.

Riggins posted a 21 point per game average (finishing 3rd in the league) on 21.1 minutes per game, essentially achieving a 1-point-to-1-minute ratio. He would enter the game and quickly get to work, hounding the opposition. He shot 59% from the field, made 39% of his 3-pointers, and led the team in jello shots and bottles of beer on the wall.

Riggins had impressive showings during the regular season, including a 21-point performance against his former team, the Michigan Killer Beez, with whom he won the GSB S1 Cover Athlete award. Other notable games include 29 points against the Albuquerque Martians, 18 points against the Kentucky Reserve (regular season), 23 points against the Ohio Shaman (regular season), 24 points against the Virginia Merfolk, and two standout games against the Boston Militia, where he dropped 33 and 35 points.

Riggins will now add this award to his long list of achievements:

GSB S1 Cover Athlete
S1 All-GSB 2nd Team
S2 All-GSB 2nd Team
S3 All-GSB 1st Team
3x All-Star (S1, S2 (Captain), S3)
S3 Sixth Man of the Year
Highest BAC Level Ever Recorded (Guinness World Record)

[Graphic created by Tim Riggins]