Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Luke Kornet made a joke about his Ninth Man of the Year campaign, but there are plenty of actual candidates for this imagined award.
- Kornet was making a joking but he has been one of the best deep bench players this year, along with Jordan Goodwin, Hugo Gonzalez and more.
- But the award would go to Paul Reed, whose consistent per-minute production and two-way impact has made him a crucial piece for the Pistons' rotation.
On Wednesday, the San Antonio Spurs vanquished the Portland Trail Blazers, despite missing their prodigious 7-foot-4 big man, thanks in large part to the efforts of backup center Luke Kornet.
In 26 minutes, Kornet tallied 10 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 stocks (steals and blocks) while shooting 5-for-6 from the floor. And after the game, Kornet provided a hilarious soundbite, stating that by starting his "Ninth Man of the Year candidacy is looking a little shaky."
This got us thinking — who is actually the best ninth man in the league? We're talking about the deep bench players, whose minutes might be contingent on minutes and injuries, but have still stepped up every time they're called upon. Here are some candidates.
Luke Kornet
Spoiler alert: Kornet is not our 9MOY, but he has been pretty good darn in that role. When Victor Wembanyama is off the floor, the Spurs are without the best defensive player in the league. But Kornet makes it so that they are still pretty good on that end of the floor. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Spurs are in the 71st percentile in defensive rating and the 93rd percentile in opponent rim accuracy when Kornet is on the floor.
Hugo Gonzalez
Hugo Gonzalez has been one of the most effective rookies of the 2025 Class thus far. In his age-19 season, Gonzalez is already in the 92nd percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (per Dunks & Threes). He's also been a really good offensive rebounder (71st percentile) and finisher around the rim (82nd percentile). Gonzalez has started a few games for the Boston Celtics this year, but since Jayson Tatum returned, he has been more of a back-end rotation player (10th in total minutes since March 5).
Paul Reed
Paul Reed is technically the Detroit Pistons' third center on their depth chart. But since Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren have both missed some time (35 combined games), Reed has often been thrust into the backup role -- even starting in 10 games for the Bad Boys (yep, this group is deserving of that moniker). Reed has been one of the best per-minute offensive rebounders in the league (97th percentile), while also being a wrecking ball on the defensive side of the ball -- ranking in the top fifth percentile in both steal and block rate among all players.
Isaiah Joe
Isaiah Joe ranks fifth among Oklahoma City Thunder players in total minutes played. However, that is because of the revolving door of injuries they have had to deal with. In the playoffs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace will all be ahead of him in the depth chart. But man, what a luxury it is to have a 42.3 percent 3-point shooter on 97th percentile be the ninth man in your rotation. No wonder why they are the title favorites.
Jordan Goodwin
Jordan Goodwin is technically eighth on the Phoenix Suns in minutes per game (22.5). But he is only ahead of Oso Ighodaro by 0.3 MPG, and the big man has started in 13 more games. Plus, Goodwin is such a joy to watch that he deserves some recognition. Goodwin is cut from the same cloth as Gonzalez in terms of defensive excellence and next-level hustle. This season, he is in the 94th percentile in DEF EPM, the 84th percentile in offensive rebound rate, and the 97th percentile in steal rate. Unlike Gonzalez, though, he is a reliable spacer (37.1% from three on 71st percentile volume).
So, who is The Ninth Man of the Year?
Using one-number metrics to compare players can be tricky because these stats only tell us how good a player is in their specific role. However, since all of these guys are technically fulfilling the same role, it seems okay to use it to crown our winner here. Of these five guys, the one with the highest EPM is Reed, who ranks 34th in the entire league in this metric. All hail B-Ball Paul!