Quiz: Who Does He Play for? Prove You’re an NBA Expert With This Bench Player Challenge

Are you an NBA sicko? Test your knowledge and prove it to your friends with this Sports Illustrated quiz.

The Thunder will be aiming to defend their 2024-25 NBA championship as the playoffs begin. | Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Welcome to the NBA playoffs.

For a league that has plenty of issues to work out in the regular season, the NBA playoffs remain one of the greatest products in all of sports. For the next two months, we’ll be treated to night after night of thrilling basketball as teams try to knock off the defending champion Thunder.

To celebrate the beginning of the playoff season, it’s time to test your NBA knowledge of the postseason teams in our below quiz. Are you an NBA sicko who can name the guys at the end of the bench for each playoff team? Prove it below:

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Candidates to win the NBA’s 2025–26 Sixth Man of the Year award

Speaking of bench players, it’s time to recognize the best of the reserves this season—the guys who don’t get the glory of hearing their name called in the starting lineup but still produce on a nightly basis.

Here are four candidates to win the 2025–26 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. (By the way, none of these players below are in the quiz above. That would be too easy.)

Keldon Johnson, Spurs: Johnson was a regular in the Spurs’ starting lineup from 2020 to ‘24, but he took a reserve role last season and has continued to thrive their in 2025–26. As one of 18 NBA players to play in all 82 games this season, Johnson earned “Iron Man” status for the first time while averaging 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds, and shooting a career-high 51.9% from the field.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., Heat: “Juan Wick” had a career year in 2025–26, averaging 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. He didn’t even have the best basketball season in his family, though. His younger sister Gabriela won a national championship with UCLA earlier this month and was selected No. 5 in the 2026 WNBA draft.

Naz Reid, Timberwolves: Two words. Naz Reid. Reid, the 2023–24 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, finished fifth in voting last season and is once again in the mix in 2025–26. His numbers are actually better than when he won the award two years ago, averaging 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26.1 minutes per game.

Reed Sheppard, Rockets: The No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, Sheppard appeared in all 82 games for the Rockets and averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. He scored double figures in 59 of his 82 games this season after doing so just six times as a rookie.

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