NBA: 10 Candidates For Sixth Man Of The Year In 2015-16

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Nov 8, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) drives to the basket as Houston Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas (20) defends during the first half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award is always one of the league’s more entertaining debates. On the surface, the title of best sixth man in the association should be defined by more than just raw scoring numbers. Idealistically, this award would go to the most important substitute on a winning team who changes the dynamic of the game every time he checks in.

Unfortunately, this award seems to be blown off by and large. Voters are busy covering their own teams, making it all too easy to vote for the inefficient gunners of the league who come off the bench, take a ton of irresponsible shots and still manage to put up solid scoring numbers when all is said and done.

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The reason the NBA is so great is because of the superstars, but it’s the valuable role players coming off the bench who are the unsung heroes that make the difference between winning and losing. To that end, the Sixth Man of the Year Award should represent the pinnacle of putting the team first and making a major difference coming off the bench.

It may take some time for the voters to stop selecting the J.R. Smiths of the league, but heading into the 2015-16 season, there are plenty of potentially deserving candidates to keep an eye on…in addition to the usual batch of irrational confidence guys. Here’s a look at the top 10 candidates for the 2015-16 Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Honorable Mentions: Tiago Splitter, Ryan Anderson, Amar’e Stoudemire, Taj Gibson and T.J. Warren

Next: No. 10