![Domantas Sabonis has been superb for the Pacers off the bench. - [Flickr / Pacers Groups]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2019/1/15/660x290/b_502x220x82/domantas-sabonis-has-been-superb-for-the-pacers-off-the-bench-image-source-flickr-pacers-groups_2183301.jpg "Domantas Sabonis has been superb for the Pacers off the bench. - [Flickr / Pacers Groups]")
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.
Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets (16.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 36.8 3PT%)
Last season, Dinwiddie was near the top of the Most Improved Player voting. This season, it looks like it will be in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He has shown drastic improvements in both his field goal and three-point shooting compared to last season.
Lou Williams, Clippers (18.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.9 APG, 38.1 3PT%, 90.6 FT%)
Last season's (and the 2014-15) Sixth Man of the Year, Williams has seen a small decrease in his numbers in large part due to playing more than seven minutes fewer per game compared to 2017-18. On a per minute basis, he is scoring more and handing out more assists.
Derrick Rose, Timberwolves (18.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 46.8 3PT%)
Vintage D-Rose has been making more appearances than in recent years. Entering the season with a career 29.6 three-point percentage, Rose is fourth in the NBA, connecting on them at a 46.8 percent clip. He dropped 50 points against the Jazz on October 31.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kings (15.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 37.4 3PT%)
Bogdanovic has been one of the top bench players despite missing nearly a month to begin the season. He has reached double figures in scoring during 27 of his last 30 outings.
Dennis Schroder, Thunder (15.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 82.6 FT%)
Schroder has fit in nicely coming off the bench in his first season in Oklahoma City after being a permanent starter the previous two years with the Hawks. He has provided much-needed depth to a Thunder team that has been starved for bench scoring over the past few seasons.
Fred VanVleet, Raptors (10.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.5 APG, 36.7 3PT%)
VanVleet finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season. He remains the key cog off a Toronto bench on a team that sits first in the Eastern Conference standings. His numbers have been better in his 16 starts rather than his 23 reserve appearances, which drops him a bit on this list.
Dwyane Wade, Heat (13.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.9 APG)
In his 16th and final NBA season, Wade has continued to produce in an unfamiliar reserve role. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer has finished with at least 18 points in 12 of his 32 appearances. He is also making a career-high 1.3 threes per contest.
Jordan Clarkson, Cavaliers (17.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 85.2 FT%)
While Clarkson is one of the top scorers that comes primarily off the bench, he is doing so on an awful team. He is averaging career-highs in scoring (17.0), two-point shooting percentage (51.8), and free throw percentage (85.2). He finished tied for seventh in voting last season.
