Among them is the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, which has been won by Lou Williams in back-to-back seasons. Nevertheless, the Clippers star faces plenty of competition to retain his title - and here we will take a look at the early leading candidates to be named 2020 Sixth Man of the Year.
#5 Dennis Schroder - Oklahoma City Thunder
Dennis Schroder spent his first season in Oklahoma City playing as a backup to Russell Westbrook, and despite the dynamic point guards exit this summer, Schroder still finds himself on the OKC bench. With the Thunder now in rebuild mode, Schorder’s long-term future appears to be elsewhere, however, the former Atlanta Hawks star is currently demonstrating why he is among the NBA’s best backup guards.
After making a slow start to the season, Schroder’s form has picked up over the past two weeks, and the German recently dropped a season-high 31 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. Schroder reached the haul in just 30 minutes on the court, and he has since led his team in scoring as they picked up a rare win over the Golden State Warriors.
Despite sharing ballhandling responsibilities with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul, Schroder is also averaging 4.1 assists to go with his 14.8 points per game, and whether or not he sees out the season in Oklahoma City - he will be among the candidates to pick up the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
#4 Bogdan Bogdanović - Sacramento Kings
Bogdan Bogdanović was the breakout star at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and while the Serbian has not been able to break into Luke Walton’s starting five - he has been able to further add to his reputation as one of the NBA’s elite bench players. Over 16 appearances for the Sacremento Kings this season, Bogdanovic has averaged 15.3 points, 4.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals.
The 27-year-old is also shooting a career-high 39.3% on 7.3 three-point attempts per contest, and there are few better shooters from beyond the arc currently playing in the NBA. Bogdanovic may opt to leave the Kings at the end of the season as he looks to secure a bigger role, and being named Sixth Man of the Year could also help him secure a bigger payday.
#3 Goran Dragic - Miami Heat
The Miami Heat spent much of the offseason trying to trade Goran Dragic, although the point guard eventually stuck around after several potential deals fell through. The 33-year-old’s long-term future still appears to be away from Miami, however, he is currently excelling in his new bench role.
Throughout his previous five seasons with the Heat, Dragic was a guaranteed starter, although after losing his spot to Justise Winslow, the Slovenian has quickly developed into one of the NBA’s best spot-up shooters. Over 16 appearances from the bench this season, Dragic has averaged 15.2 points 3.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game and the guard is also shooting a near career-high 41% from beyond the arc.
#2 Spencer Dinwiddie - Brooklyn Nets
After establishing himself as a starter for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2017-18 campaign, Spencer Dinwiddie returned to the bench last season and enjoyed the best season of his career as he averaged 16.8 points and 4.6 assists per game. His performances were good enough to suggest that he deserved a starting spot - although the offseason acquisition of Kyrie Irving has once again blocked his path to the starting five.
Nevertheless, Dinwiddie has once again embraced his role as Brooklyn’s sixth man, and over 18 appearances this season, the 26-year-old has averaged 19.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. Admittedly the point guard has only shot 41% from the field, although Dinwiddie has given the Nets a huge lift from the bench on a nightly basis, and he will serve as a huge threat to Williams.
#1 Lou Williams - Los Angeles Clippers
Following a series of excellent performances during the 2018-19 season, Lou Williams was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year for the third time. All of his titles have come in the past five seasons, and the veteran appears well on course to become the first player in NBA history to win the award for the fourth time.
Despite turning 33 last month, Williams has demonstrated no signs of slowing down during the early weeks of the season, and the guard is currently averaging 22.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. His impact from the bench has been a turning point in several games for the Clippers this season, and his presence on one of the NBA’s best teams will only help his quest to win the award for the fourth time.
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