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2016-17 NBA Awards Season: Top 10 Sixth Man Of The Year Candidates

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 17, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) points the the bench after making a three pointer in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Rockets won 111-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) points the the bench after making a three pointer in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Rockets won 111-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sixth Man of the Year
Jan 18, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) shoots the ball during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Eric Gordon

Even before Lou Williams was traded to the Houston Rockets and his numbers tailed off, many saw Eric Gordon as the Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner, since his production off the bench helped make the NBA’s most formidable three-point onslaught that much more lethal.

While Williams was putting up big numbers on a losing team, Gordon wasn’t far behind on the stat sheet and was also helping one of the five best teams in the NBA spread the floor and rack up wins. He finished the season averaging 16.2 points per game on 37.2 percent shooting from deep — no small feat considering he was attempting a career-high 8.8 threes per game.

Though Gordon started in 15 of his 75 appearances for the Rockets this season, 60 games with the second unit is more than enough to keep this award in his corner, especially since his numbers were slightly better coming off the bench anyway. In fact, Gordon became the first substitute in NBA history to make 200 threes in a single season.

With Mike D’Antoni unleashing Gordon’s three-point shot like never before and the 28-year-old shooting guard enjoying the healthiest season of his career, E.G. finally got to contribute to a winning team, and damn it all if it wasn’t one of the more underrated resurgent seasons in the NBA this year.

Next: NBA Awards Season - Top 10 Most Improved Player Candidates

The fact that he played better than Lou Will to close the season when they were coming off the same bench pretty much solidified his case, even if Iguodala is still probably the sixth man most teams would want if they had a choice. Still, this award is about who had the best season, not who’s the best sixth man, and by those parameters, it’s hard to ignore Eric Gordon’s impact for the third-winningest team in the league.