Joe Freeman's recent piece on Jarrett Jack finding his niche got me thinking: what are the dynamics behind a guy who actually performs better in a non-starting role as opposed to a starting role - and seems to relish coming off the bench? This question is not necessarily centered on Jack. Think of some of the great off-the-bench guys ( John Havlicek, Detlef Schrempf w/Indy, Manu Ginobili, et al ). What is the common thread(s)?

A short answer might be that watching the flow of the game from the bench gives certain players a better perspective as to exactly what is needed at critical times. I think it goes deeper than that. I have some ideas and will weigh in if my points aren't covered. But I'd really like to hear from our panel of armchair analysts out there in BE land.