NBA Awards Watch: Sixth Man of the Year

By Mike Elworth. Follow Mike @MikeElworth24. For site updates follow @walterfootball.

Six weeks into 2016 NBA Season, this is my second NBA Awards Watch. I had an offseason version with LeBron James as the MVP, Steve Kerr as the Coach of the Year, Marcus Smart as the Most Improved Player, Marc Gasol as the Defensive Player of the Year, Jahlil Okafor as the Rookie of the Year and Joakim Noah as the Sixth Man of the Year. Regardless, these are my picks now, enjoy.

Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls
I actually thought about having Noah in the Defensive Player of the Year section, but he just doesn’t play the minutes needed. His numbers don’t look like much at first, but he is arguably the Bulls’ best distributor and one of the NBA’s best rebounders and defenders. He should be starting, but there is not a sixth man more valuable than him this season.

Enes Kanter, Oklahoma City Thunder
Enes Kanter should be starting for the Thunder, as he is their fourth-best player, but Billy Donovan likes defense, so Kanter sits. However so far, his season is ridiculous, in fact, he is one of the best rebounders and scoring big men in the league this season per minute.

Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans
Anderson is the No. 1 bench scorer in the NBA, and although he might be traded, he deserves to be on this list. Anderson is the best pure stretch four in the league, and although the Pelicans suck this season, he is averaging 24 points and seven rebounds in their wins.

Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Thompson brings defense, elite rebounding and strong scoring off the Cavaliers’ bench. He would start on most teams, but playing the four and five off the bench for Cleveland means he is the fourth-most important player on a title contender. Thompson shouldn’t have gotten $80 million, but he is having a strong season. He could win this award multiple times for the Cavaliers.

Alec Burks, Utah Jazz
Burks is the best second unit guard this season, scoring 15 points a game and showing his distributing skills with solid assist numbers. He should be starting, as the Jazz need more talent starting at guard if they want to be a playoff team.