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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
Mar 22, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (11) looks to pass the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Enes Kanter

On a Per 36 Minutes basis, Enes Kanter‘s numbers off the bench dwarf the rest of the competition. Though he only averaged 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season, they came in only 21.3 minutes per game, which translates to 24.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per 36.

One argument for Russell Westbrook‘s MVP candidacy is that he has very little help, and for the most part it’s a valid point. Kanter is one exception, however, playing all 72 of his games off the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s bench and shooting 54.5 percent from the field.

Unfortunately, as productive as Kanter was in his limited time off the bench, there’s a reason he wasn’t logging bigger minutes: His defense is still pretty porous, and extended minutes put OKC’s 10th ranked defense at a disadvantage.

We should also point out that in a Sixth Man of the Year race, Per 36 Minutes numbers look great on paper, but they don’t compare to the numbers that are actually put on the stat sheet. Because of this, Kanter falls just outside of the main contenders.