Chicago – Earl Boykins did the work of seven men Saturday. At least Milwaukee’s seven men.
The Nuggets point guard outscored the Bucks’ bench 21-17 in Denver’s 100-93 victory. It was the latest example of how he has shed the label of a 5-foot-5 novelty to become a legitimate annual contender for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award.
Once an undrafted fringe player, Boykins finished fifth in award voting in 2004 and jumped to third last year, behind Boston’s Ricky Davis and the winner, Chicago’s Ben Gordon. Should Boykins sustain his 13.9-point scoring average, he will have set a career high for the fourth straight season.
Gordon, with his 14.4 points per game, remains one of Boykins’ main competitors for this year’s trophy. The two get to size up each other today.
Boykins need not worry about most of the competitors from last season. Davis, Minnesota’s Wally Szczerbiak, Utah’s Mehmet Okur and Philadelphia’s Kyle Korver have graduated to starting roles. Dallas’ Jerry Stackhouse has missed much of the season to injury, while Seattle’s Vladimir Radmanovic and Antonio McDyess have seen declining productivity.
Boykins knows how quickly fortunes change. After a slow start, Boykins dealt with an added dose of frustration when his left hamstring tightened up, killing a streak of 253 straight games played. But his trademark selection of 3-pointers and circus floaters closer to the net are back on display to the tune of 17.7 points in his 11 games back.
Considering the Nuggets’ other injuries, his timing couldn’t be better.
“He’s helped me out big- time,” said Carmelo Anthony, Denver’s main scoring threat.
Coach George Karl added: “I think everybody knows that when he has his motor in fifth gear, we’ve got a dimension that’s really interesting. It seems like in most games when he plays well, we play well.”
Boykins credits his improvement to assistant coach Doug Moe, one of the patron saints of the shoot-early-and-often school. Moe pulled the guard aside and told him to stop worrying about his assist totals or people’s perception of his game.
Moe coached plenty of smaller guards during his time in charge of the Nuggets. He said Boykins most reminded him of 5-10 Michael Adams.
“Earl’s more of a scorer than a playmaker, so you want him to score,” he said. “In his scoring, it makes him a playmaker because it puts pressure on the other team.”
Boykins said Moe pushed the right switch in his head.
“I wasn’t tense,” he said. “But sometimes when you’re a point guard, you feel like you’ve got to get everybody involved. Doug told me just go out there and don’t worry about it.”
He has returned to his accustomed role of speeding up the game with his staccato style late in the first quarter, then hitting needed shots late in the fourth.
Denver general manager Kiki Vandeweghe took heat for signing Boykins to a five-year contract in 2003. Before Boykins finishes, he might reward his GM by becoming the first Nugget to be named the NBA’s top sixth man.
“You can never tell,” Vandeweghe said. “We obviously hoped that he would improve, but I think Earl’s really exceeded anything that we could have hoped for.”
Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
The super subs
Earl Boykins is once again a contender for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award. His main competition among players who have started fewer than half their games:
| Player | Keystats |
| Earl Boykins, Denver | 13.9 points, 4.1 assists |
| Caron Butler, Washington | 16.5 points, 5.1 rebounds |
| Jamal Crawford, New York | 15.3 points, 41.7 3-point percentage |
| Mo Williams, Milwaukee | 15.1 points, 4.3 assists |
| Channing Frye, New York | 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds |
| *Ben Gordon, Chicago | 14.4 points, 41.7 3-point percentage |
| Jameer Nelson, Orlando | 13.3 points, 4.2 assists |
*2005 Sixth Man Award winner
