Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 reasons why they’re in the playoff hunt

2. Dennis Schroder a spark plug off the bench

During his first year with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dennis Schroder compiled averages of 15.5 points and 4.1 assists per contest on slash lines of .414/.341/.819. These are respectable numbers, but his scoring average last season was his lowest output since the 2015-16 campaign.

In his second year in OKC, Schroeder has been a key contributor off the bench, to say the least. He is averaging 19.3 points (the second-best average of his career) and 4.0 assists per contest. Additionally, his shooting numbers are up as well.

He is shooting 47.6 percent from the field overall and a more than respectable 38.7 percent clip from beyond the arc. To put these stats into perspective, the player who has won the Sixth Man of the Year award the past two seasons — Lou Williams — is averaging 19.5 points and 5.9 assists per outing on shooting splits of .412/.350/.863.

In other words, Schroeder is for the Oklahoma City Thunder what Williams is for the LA Clippers — a guy coming off the bench that can give his team 20-plus points on any given night. Perhaps this is the reason it has been mentioned that Schroeder could become the first Thunder player to win the award since Jame Harden accomplished the feat back in 2011-12.