With the NBA regular season slightly past the midway point, there have been a plethora of superb bench players around the league. It makes for a deep pool of candidates for the Sixth Man of the Year Award, which comes at the end of the season.
Lou Williams won the award last season and is again a top contender. Below are the 10 candidates for the 2018-19 Sixth Man of the Year Award. All stats listed are for games played through January 14.
(According to Sporting Charts, a player is eligible for the award when they come off the bench more times than they have started. So while someone like Julius Randle may be a top candidate once the season is over, he has started more often than coming off the bench as of this writing).
Domantas Sabonis, Pacers (15.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 62.2 FG%)
Sabonis received a few votes for Most Improved Player last year, and he has become a force this season as one of the favorites to win Sixth Man of the Year. He has abandoned an unreliable three-point shot and is fifth with his 62.2 field goal percentage. He has secured a scoring/rebounding double-double in nearly half his games (19 in 40 outings).
Montrezl Harrell, Clippers (16.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 BPG, 62.9 FG%)
Harrell could also be a candidate for Most Improved Player. He has scored at least 20 points in 16 contests and has also amassed 11 double-doubles. His 25.5 PER currently ranks as 10th-best in the league. According to CBS Sports, he has scored at least 20 in three of his last four games.