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NBA Awards Watch: Full Midseason Awards

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 5, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is defended by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is defended by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) reacts after a score against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Sixth Man of the Year: Ryan Anderson

Honorable Mentions: Will Barton, Lou Williams, Zach Randolph

There are quite a few fine choices in this category. Lou Williams deserves a mention after winning the award last year, but he no longer qualifies after Byron Scott inexplicably decided to put him in the starting group and move D’Angelo Russell to the bench. Zach Randolph is a dark horse after recently being moved to the bench, but he has a lot of ground to make up.

The top two contenders for the award have to be Ryan Anderson and Will Barton, with the two being pretty much neck and neck. Barton’s Denver Nuggets have surprisingly been more successful in the win-loss column, but Sixth Man voters really just want to see high scoring off the bench, which is where Anderson has the slight edge:

  • Ryan Anderson 2015-16 stats: 17.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, .439/.387/.873 shooting splits, 17.6 PER
  • Will Barton 2015-16 stats: 15.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, .448/.389/.844 shooting splits, 18.6 PER

Barton has been a teensy bit more efficient with his shot this season, and he’s been an enjoyable burst of energy off the bench in Denver. But if I had to take a guess, I’d imagine most voters would simply look at Anderson’s superior scoring average and cast their ballot for him without giving it another second of thought.

Next: Most Valuable Player