Mavericks could put Klay Thompson in perfect position to win award he's never won

If the Dallas Mavericks end up trotting out a jumbo starting five like Jason Kidd has teased this offseason, Klay Thompson could be in the perfect spot to win Sixth Man of the Year. Thompson has been a primary starter for his entire career outside of rookie season with the Golden State Warriors, and taking home a Sixth Man of the Year trophy would be perfect for him at this point in his career.

He already has countless accolades, such as being a five-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion, two-time All-NBA Third Team member, and a one-time All-Defensive Second Team member, but winning the award of being the most impactful bencch player in the league would be extremely special for the 12-year veteran.

Thompson being in the hunt for this award will all depend on what starting lineup Kidd uses for most of the year, and even if Kidd elects to start Thompson at the beginning of the year, he still could end up being eligible to win Sixth Man of the Year.

Mavericks could thrust Thompson to top of Sixth Man of the Year race

As long as Thompson plays in at least 65 games and comes off the bench for more games than he starts, he'll be in the clear, and Kidd's decision to start or bench him seems like the only uncertainty heading into the regular season.

On one hand, P.J. Washington replacing Thompson in the starting lineup to join D'Angelo Russell, Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II would give Dallas one of the scariest defenses in the NBA, but losing Thompson's 3-point shooting would be a major blow. The Mavericks are going to need as much shooting as possible around Davis and Lively II, which would make it make more sense to start Thompson, but Kidd could shock everyone and start Washington out the gate.

Regardless of who starts to begin the year, it seems like the Mavs will at least experiment with that massive lineup, and if it becomes permanent, Thompson will have a heyday off the bench.

Thompson will succeed in whatever role Kidd assigns him, as he changes the game every time he steps onto the floor due to his unshakable shooting and unreal off-ball gravity, but a move to the bench could be the juice he needs to have a revolutionary season.

Not only would Thompson be motivated to prove that he is still a starting-caliber player in today's NBA, but he also may get more on-ball action than he would if he were in the starting lineup, especially once Kyrie Irving comes back. The Mavericks have a lot of mouths to feed, especially with Flagg, Davis, and Irving set to be more prolific offensive options than Thompson, and coming off the bench would give Thompson more touches and could lead to the Mavs' offense being more balanced.

Thompson would join players like Naji Marshall, Daniel Gafford, and Max Christie in that second unit, and his shooting could give the bench the fire that it needs. Dallas already is one of the deepest teams in the NBA, and Thompson coming off the bench would prove that even more.

He would have the freedom to run more off-ball actions, score off the dribble when needed, and potentially even raise his volume from the 12.2 shots per game that he attempted last season, and Washington joining the starting lineup would nearly guarantee that Thompson will be in the hunt for Sixth Man of the Year.

As long as Dallas is a good team and Thompson keeps up the hot shooting that he displayed last season, he'll be in a great spot, and he may just be the first Maverick to win Sixth Man of the Year since Jason Terry in 2009.