NBA Awards Watch: James Harden takes charge

6th Man of the Year

1. Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics – Since we last weighed in, Isaiah Thomas made his way to a new team, but that doesn’t exclude him from the race. Thomas has made only one start in 46 games this season, but he has managed to produce in a big way, including 15.2 points and 3.7 assists per contest in only 25.7 minutes each night. Thomas is certainly a volume scorer (42.6% from the field), but he makes up for that with quality shooting beyond the arc (39.1%) and the ability to get to the foul line (87% on nearly 5 attempts per game), and that makes him a highly efficient offensive player overall. There would be flaws if Thomas was made into a full-time starter, but as a reserve, he fills the perfect role as an offensive-minded sixth man.
2. Lou Williams, Toronto Raptors – When the Raptors need a spark, there is Lou Williams. To bookend the All-Star break, the veteran guard scored 27 points against the Washington Wizards and 26 points against the Atlanta Hawks, and with Toronto able to escape with wins against two Eastern Conference competitors, those contributions were hugely significant. Williams is not the distributor that he used to be, but he is scoring at will this season thanks to a 56.2% true shooting, and with a PER over 20, it is tough to fault his performance.
3. Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers – Prior to the All-Star break, Crawford was in the midst of a shooting slump that had submarined his season-long numbers. However, the veteran spark plug is averaging 21.3 points per game (on 46% FG and 41% 3-PT) since the break, and that is enough to land him here. The 34-year-old Crawford is basically the only option on the Los Angeles bench right now, and he is important as a secondary ball-handler and offensive creator during virtually every minute he is deployed. Oh, and he’s basically an annual candidate.

Next: Defensive Player of the Year