NBA: Top 5 Contenders for 'Sixth Man' of the Year Award

It’s the end of March and we are just a few weeks away from the start of the Playoffs. As another regular season draws to a close, the race for bagging individual honors is starting to heat up. The likes of LeBron James and James Harden have left us divided about who is ahead in the race for becoming the Most Valuable Player in the league. But there are other coveted individual awards as well, one of them being the ‘Sixth Man of the Year’ award.

Since 1983, this award has recognized the best players in the league coming off the bench and has honored the likes Manu Ginobili, Harden and Eric Gordon in recent years. This season has seen several players putting up great numbers coming in as a substitute and have made a significant difference to their teams.

So let's take a look at some of the players who are in with a shout to become the ‘Sixth Man’ this year.

#5 Domantas Sabonis

After a disappointing season with the Oklahoma City Thunder last year, the Lithuanian-descent has got his groove back and how.

Though he began the season as a starter in the absence of Myles Turner, after Turner's return to the team Sabonis has been simply magnificent coming off the bench for the Indiana Pacers. Shooting at over 50% from the field, he has been the best offensive weapon in Indiana’s second unit. But it has been his defensive skills which really seems to have come of age this year.

Sabonis has averaged almost 8 rebounds a game in around 20 minutes of game time this year as compared to just over 5 per game last year. With Indiana more or less assured of a Post- Season berth already, he stands a great chance of bagging the coveted honor this year.