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It’s the end of March and we are just a few weeks away from the start of the Playoffs. As another regular season draws to a close, the race for bagging individual honors is starting to heat up. The likes of LeBron James and James Harden have left us divided about who is ahead in the race for becoming the Most Valuable Player in the league. But there are other coveted individual awards as well, one of them being the ‘Sixth Man of the Year’ award.
Since 1983, this award has recognized the best players in the league coming off the bench and has honored the likes Manu Ginobili, Harden and Eric Gordon in recent years. This season has seen several players putting up great numbers coming in as a substitute and have made a significant difference to their teams.
So let's take a look at some of the players who are in with a shout to become the ‘Sixth Man’ this year.
#5 Domantas Sabonis
After a disappointing season with the Oklahoma City Thunder last year, the Lithuanian-descent has got his groove back and how.
Though he began the season as a starter in the absence of Myles Turner, after Turner's return to the team Sabonis has been simply magnificent coming off the bench for the Indiana Pacers. Shooting at over 50% from the field, he has been the best offensive weapon in Indiana’s second unit. But it has been his defensive skills which really seems to have come of age this year.
Sabonis has averaged almost 8 rebounds a game in around 20 minutes of game time this year as compared to just over 5 per game last year. With Indiana more or less assured of a Post- Season berth already, he stands a great chance of bagging the coveted honor this year.
#4 Rudy Gay
At the time Rudy Gay joined the San Antonio Spurs, he was perceived by many as a talented player who shone as an individual but often did not add much to the team. But in the past 6 months, he has proved himself to be a perfect team man for San Antonio. Gay has adjusted perfectly to Popovich’s style of basketball and has come off the bench to share the frontcourt load in the absence of their best player Kawhi Leonard.
The 31-year-old has emerged as the leader of the team’s second unit averaging 12 PPG at 46.7% shooting in the limited court time he has received this season. Whether or not he gets recognized for his contribution to the Spurs this season, Gay has definitely emerged as one of the pleasant surprises this season for basketball fans.
#3 Eric Gordon
The reigning ‘Sixth Man’ of the league, the guard is a strong contender to repeat the feat this year as well. Gordon didn’t seem to have a great time in the first couple of months of the campaign starting in place of the injured Chris Paul but after the return of CP3, he went back to the bench and has been able to find his touch again.
Averaging 18.0 PPG this season, Gordon continues to be one of the best offensive players coming off the bench in the entire league. Not surprising, he is the Rocket’s third-best scorer this year, though his shooting numbers from beyond the arc have seen a drop as compared to the last few seasons.
#2 Dwyane Wade
After a patchy start to the season as a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 12-time All-Star, Dwyane Wade found his groove coming off the bench and has gone from strength to strength ever since. In a year where he has seen the least game time in his career at just 23 minutes a game, Wade has shot a career-best percentage from beyond the three-point line.
Even after being traded to the Miami Heat last month, he has continued to play the role of a super sub. He is still the man the Heat trust with the ball to win them a ball game with the clock winding down. Interestingly, if Wade wins the ‘Sixth Man’ this year, he will be the first NBA Finals MVP who has gone on to win this honor.
#1 Lou Williams
The 2015 winner of the ‘Sixth Man’ award is currently the runaway favorite to bag the honor again this year. Williams has been putting up career-best numbers across the board despite starting only 19 out of 75 games for the LA Clippers this campaign. Averaging 22 PPG this season, he has provided coach Doc Rivers instant offense off the bench scoring 20 points or more on more than 40 occasions.
His fantastic production as a substitute is proved by the fact that he is the league leader among reserves in points, field goals made and free throws made as well third among bench players in assists per game.
Guess the Lakers players!
