NBA Awards Watch: The Anthony Davis Show

6th Man of the Year

1. Isaiah Thomas, PG Phoenix Suns – It would be pretty surprising to see a player take home 6th man honors while playing less than 24 minutes per game, but Thomas has been very, very good. Many assumed there would be drop-off after his huge season in Sacramento last year, but the diminutive point guard is averaging 15.6 points and 4.3 assists per game in those limited minutes, and his advanced metrics are through the roof.
2. Ryan Anderson, PF New Orleans Pelicans – Anderson was in the national spotlight for non-basketball reasons as highlighted in a tremendous piece by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard, but at the same time, he is back to playing at an incredibly high level. The 6-foot-10 forward is one of the more dynamic offensive players at the power forward position, and he is averaging 15.8 points (including 42.6% from three) and 5.6 rebounds per game despite playing “behind” Anthony Davis.
3. Taj Gibson, PF Chicago Bulls – As long as Gibson doesn’t get enough starts to “overqualify” himself for this award, he’ll be in the mix all year. The Chicago frontcourt is loaded, but Pau Gasol is the default starter right now, allowing Gibson to garner consideration on the strength of elite-level defense to go along with 13 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. It’s almost unfair that he is a backup.

Next: Defensive Player of the Year