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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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Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Patty Mills

Patty Mills has some of the worst numbers on this list and he won’t come anywhere near receiving enough votes to actually win the award, especially since the San Antonio Spurs‘ second unit is such a well-oiled machine.

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The Spurs’ bench balance makes it hard to pinpoint one specific sixth man, but Mills was tremendous this season, helping compensate for Tony Parker‘s worst season since his rookie year. Though he only averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 assists, they came in 21.9 minutes per game on stellar .440/.414/.825 shooting splits.

The Spurs are known for resting their big names, which is why Mills staying healthy and playing 80 games (72 of which were off the bench) gave Gregg Popovich the luxury of letting his stars recharge their batteries for the upcoming playoff push while still winning 61 games.

Mills will be a free agent this summer, at which point the Spurs will need to make some decisions as far as Parker’s future and whether they think Patty can replace him as the lead floor general for the long haul. But in terms of backup point guards, it didn’t get much better than the 28-year-old Mills this season.