Stressful path to Sixth Man of the Year outlined for Keldon Johnson

Keldon Johnson didn't receive a single vote for Sixth Man of the Year this awards season. Boston guard Payton Pritchard achieved the honor this season after averaging 14 points per game and being a consistently important cog on one of the best teams in the league. He was a deserving choice, and this article is not going to insist that KJ should have won or even received votes.

There is a segment of the fan base who have been beside themselves because Johnson didn't even receive one third-place vote. That's okay. Let them vent. It's only because of a loyalty to Big Body, and he'd probably appreciate the love being shown by the fans.

However, the right decisions were made based on the history of the award. When looking at the apparent requirements, KJ can make strides toward winning it next season, though.

Spurs need to win games to give Johnson a chance to win 6MOY

When you look at the list of players who received votes this year, they're all deserving candidates. These players had great seasons, and as a result, their teams won games and made the playoffs. When you examine the teams more closely, you see that not only did they make the playoffs, but they also didn't partake in the Play-In Tournament at all.

Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota, and Denver were all top-six teams in the league this year and got into the postseason outright. Keldon had a good year overall, but the first half of the season was shaky. His defense still needs work, but not every player here is a defensive stalwart. You can just be a serviceable defender and win the award if you put together awesome performances that help the team win.

Pritchard did that, scoring 20 or more points 24 times off the bench this year and even dropping 43 one night in a game Jayson Tatum didn't play in and 34 in the final game of the regular season. He shot 40.7% from three this season, so if you left him open, you paid for it more times than not.

I don't know if I foresee Johnson dropping a 40-piece on anyone, but scoring into the 20s and occasionally reaching the 30s is not off the table for the former Kentucky wing. He's got all the offensive game he needs to do it, but he'll need to be consistent from the beginning of the season, and the Spurs will need to win a lot more games.

Good thing the latter is coming down the turnpike. Winning basketball will be here faster than you can say "Race for Seis."