Hoops Habit
Fansided

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

By Gerald Bourguet

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
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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 11
Next
NBA
Feb 8, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas (20) brings the ball up the court during the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Donatas Motiejunas

James Harden was the Rockets’ leading man last year, but Donatas Motiejunas played a huge role in preventing Houston’s season from derailing due to injuries to Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones. D-Mo was unable to stay healthy for the postseason, but his progression during the regular season was one of the pleasant surprises of the year for the Rockets.

Sporting a solid post game, three-point shooting ability (36.8 percent) and a great feel for the game that helped Houston’s offense keep humming, Motiejunas averaged 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game on 50.4 percent shooting. If he can stay healthy, he’s poised for a breakout season on a legitimate title contender.

There’s the slight caveat that D-Mo’s back might not be fully healed before opening night, but as long as he’s able to return relatively soon and provide a scoring presence on the block and on the perimeter, he’ll be a high profile backup for Terrence Jones.

Next: No. 4