NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2017-18 Sixth Man of the Year Award

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9. Patrick Patterson

All the focus is going to be on Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, but you can be guaranteed Patrick Patterson is key to the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s success, especially when it comes to small-ball lineups and positional versatility.

OKC’s starting lineup of Russ, Andre Roberson, PG-13, Melo and Steven Adams is a brilliant mix of offensive firepower and defensive prowess, but Patterson is the jack of all trades who will spread the floor, anchor the team’s bench unit and help close out games when the Thunder need stops.

However, as much as Patterson’s on/off-court numbers indicate he’s critical to his teams’ success, his individual numbers (6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last year) are lacking in a category where scoring output seems to matter most. There’s a reason Andre Iguodala has yet to win this award, after all.