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All year we’ve watched the best of the best play this wonderful game of basketball. Now we’re in the final stretch of this season and the playoffs are almost here! The playoffs being just around the corner also signals it being time to start thinking about the award races. The Sixth Man of the Year Award seems to be straight forward.. is it? Members of the OTG Staff give their picks:
Jeremy Freed - @JeremyFreed3
Sixth Man of the Year: Domantas Sabonis
Sport Illustrated
I want Spencer Dinwiddie to win, I think Lou Williams will win, but I think Domantas Sabonis should win 6th man of the year. This is a TOUGH call. Dinwiddie is having his breakout season, and if he hadn’t gotten injured, I think he may have done enough to elevate his team and his play enough to win it. Lou Williams is tempting since he leads reserves in scoring and assists, and his play off the bench is one of the obvious reasons the Clippers have defied expectations to fight for a Top-4 seed out West. But Sabonis and the Pacers though! When Victor Oladipo got injured, they could have packed it in. Instead, they spent most of the season in the 3-seed in the tough top of the East and would host Boston if the playoffs began today. He’s been an efficient player -- Top 25 in PER and Top 35 in Win Shares -- and unlike Williams, who actually has a negative net rating, betters his team at both ends of the floor. For my money, Domantas Sabonis has been the 6th man of the year.
Dennis Dow - @dennisdownba
Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
NBA.com
This is one of the easiest awards to decide in my opinion. The Clippers have overachieved and Lou Williams is their leading scorer from the bench. He is so vital to everything that they do and they may end up with a top four seed before the season is finished. While scoring is not everything, the Clippers are the only team in the league that relies so heavily on a bench player to score. Lou Williams has scored at an impressive rate this season with 35 games scoring over 20 points this season, including eight games with more than 30 points. Lou Williams is already one of the best 6th men in the history of the NBA and this season has added to his legacy.
Nick Boylan - @NickJBoylan Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
Yahoo.com
While arguments could be made for Domantas Sabonis or even Spencer Dinwiddie (especially if his thumb injury didn’t happen), it’s yet again difficult to go against Lou Williams. While his teammate Montrezl Harrell may steal votes, Williams has again led bench scoring in the NBA for the third straight year, in even less minutes than last season. (32.8 down to 26.6) With the most points (1,339) and assists (349) off the pine, while not the most efficient at times, he’s helped keep the Clippers afloat after the Tobias Harris trade, and been super effective with Harrell when coming off the bench. While Sabonis is the more efficient scorer and it would be refreshing to have a big man take home the award, Williams is still the ultimate spark plug to come off the bench and has been a big reason behind the Clippers success this year.
Alder Almo - @alderalmo
Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
Derrick Rose is a sentimental favorite while Domantas Sabonis and Dennis Schroder are also in the mix but I’m putting my money on Lou Williams to win a record-tying third Sixth Man of the Year award. Taking on that role to heart, the sneaky scorer is one of the biggest reasons why the LA Clippers continue to overachieve despite losing Tobias Harris. He’s definitely playing the best years of his career these past two seasons.
Ryan Wheeler - @mrwheeler18
Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
Clips Nation
The automatic answer to any Sixth Man of the Year question has to always just be Jamal Crawford, right? *checking basketball-reference.com* Hold the ballot friends, J-Crossover is only averaging 6 points per game on a 17 win Phoenix Suns squad? Does this mean he doesn’t qualify anymore? In that case, Adam Silver should just rename this the Jamal Crawford, 6th man of the year award. In fact, can J-Crossover just get an honorary 6th man award in the same way that Dirk & D-Wade made the All Star team this year? No. Ok, I guess we don’t love him like that. In light of this new evidence, there is no way this year’s hardware goes to anyone other than Lou Williams. Lou is averaging 20 points in 26 minutes with a PER over 20; in short, that is rather good. Williams is the best player on the playoff bound Clippers and only plays half the game. Dropping 20 ppg and 5 assists off the bench makes this a lock for awards season. Lou Williams will certainly be handed his 3rd such award this offseason, which will tie him with Mr. Crawford.
Musaab Nadeem - @mnadeem824
Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
The Clippers have found their way into the playoffs without a definitive star. Their roster is a mixed bag of gritty players who play hard and play together. Still, in spite of their philosophy to spread the wealth, Lou Williams proves to be a standout whenever he checks in off the bench. Williams is averaging 20.3 points and 5.4 assists per game in only 26.7 minutes, and he’s a huge reason why the Clippers are headed to the postseason. Even a team like the Clippers that turns each game into a collective effort needs a guy who can go one-on-one and score. Whenever the Clippers are in need of a bucket, especially down the stretch in close games, they put the ball in the hands of Lou Williams and entrust him to get a timely basket.
Kyle Russell - @kbrheatnation
Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
For a split second I wanted to go the hot take/fan route and say Dwyane Wade but even he came out and said the clear Sixth Man of the Year is Lou Williams. Averaging 20.3 points and 5.3 assists in 26.7 minutes per game off the bench, Lou-Will has been a pick-and-roll nightmare for opposing teams all season. He’s been the closer for the Clippers, leading them on an incredible run to the playoffs during a clear rebuilding year. He’s already won two Sixth Man of the Year awards, and it’s soon to be three.
Nathan Sherman - @NathanSherman21
Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams
This Sixth Man of the Year race was extremely tight, until about a month ago when Lou Williams reminded everyone why he is the NBA’s career leader in points off the bench. Williams is leading the Clippers in points and assists, at 20.3 and 5.3 respectively. His leading challenger to this award may be on his own team. Montrezl Harrell, who has been having a fantastic season himself. In no small part thanks to the attention Lou Williams has garnered on the Clippers second unit. Their chemistry on the pick and roll has been one of the leading causes in the Clippers resurgence this year, despite trading their best player in Tobias Harris. Honorable mentions to Spencer Dinwiddie and Domantas Sabonis.