NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2018-19 Sixth Man of the Year award

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7. Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets

With Chris Paul being re-signed, Eric Gordon will continue to own his role as the Houston Rockets’ designated microwave scorer off the bench. Even if the unlikely (but totally sensible) situation unfolds where Carmelo Anthony comes off the bench, Gordon is still their leading Sixth Man candidate.

Gordon won the award in 2016-17 and finished second in 6MOY voting last season, so as long as he and the Rockets don’t completely fall off a cliff, he’ll likely be in the running again this season. Last year, he posted an impressive 18.0 points per game while coming off the bench in 39 of his 69 appearances.

The number of games missed, a drop-off in 3-point efficiency and the sensational season Lou Williams had are the reasons Splash Gordon finished as the runner-up, but if he’s able to bounce back in 2018-19, he could join Kevin McHale, Ricky Pierce, Detlef Schrempf, Jamal Crawford and Lou Will as the only players in NBA history with multiple Sixth Man of the Year awards.