Domantas Sabonis won’t win the Sixth Man of the Year award, and that’s OK

Outside of the fact Domantas Sabonis was the best part of the Indiana Pacers bench, it doesn’t seem right that the Los Angeles Clippers have two candidates for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

Indiana Pacers center Domantas Sabonis should win the Sixth Man of the Year award if for no other reason than the Los Angeles Clippers have two candidates — Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell — which seems to go against the spirit of the award.

As the saying goes, if you have two sixth men, you have no sixth men… or do you have twelve men? Or do two sixth make up a third, fraction wise?

(Pulls out an abacus, protractor)

I was never good at math, but let’s take a look at the three players nominated and see who has the best case.

Breaking down Sabonis, Harrell, and Williams by the numbers

When it comes to points, it is the two-time Sixth Man of the Year, Williams, that leads the way with exactly20 a game.

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While Domantas’ scoring isn’t as impressive as Lou or Monty (Can I call you that, Montrezl? I’m calling you that now), if you adjust for minutes or possessions, it is a little closer. The reliable scoring of a player off the bench is critical for winning the minutes when the starters must rest. For both the Clippers and the Pacers, they knew who they could turn to for those points.

But scoring isn’t everything.

What Sabonis brings to the table more than the other two is rebounding. He by far is the best rebounder of the group on both ends of the floor as he grabs 20.8% of the rebounds available when he is in the game.

If you take longer look at the advanced stats, he also keeps his usage low while scoring more consistently than Williams.

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What Sabonis does so well is being both the distributor and the scorer in his sixth man role.

This season, Domantas put up his best numbers so far as a pro with a near double-double: 14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds a game. He boosted in scoring from the season before thanks an improvement in his field goal percentage as it rose 59%, nearly an 8 percent increase.

His 2.9 assists a game don’t do justice as he served as the hub of the team’s second unit. His 50 passes a game were second only to the starting point guard, Darren Collison. Sabonis was as comfortable passing the ball as he was attacking the basket when the ball was in his hands.

The Pacers had one of the best benches in the NBA statistically, but much of that came down to Sabonis’ ability to score and distribute from his center position.

It’s fair to say Sabonis is a better player than Harrell after looking at the stats, but that shouldn’t be taken as an insult, either. Other than scoring and blocking, Sabonis is better at the things expected from centers.

This is all well and good, it’s hard to say he’s a better sixth man than Williams.

Why Sabonis won’t win

The best case for Williams, outside of the numbers, is that he was so good in his role he elevated Harrell to similar ground. Their pick and roll was so effective that Williams got his while Harrell was feasting, too. They were averaging 36 points a game together and providing no respite for opposing teams’ when their starters left the floor.

Sabonis’ teammates can’t be held against him, but the fact he was the only reliable scorer isn’t the best sign for him either unless you see the award as the MVP of the bench. While Tyreke Evans just averaging more than 10 points a game, it was generally was the Sabonis Show night in and night out. Sabonis certainly made his teammates better, but not in the same way Williams, or arguably even Harrell, did with theirs.

The Pacers will continue to need Sabonis to score like he does, but finding the right playmaking guard to pair with him to get the most out of both Domas’ abilities as well as his teammates.

Sabonis was critical to Indiana’s success last season, there’s no way to discount that. His feel for space on the floor mixed when the physicality on the boards makes him more than nearly any other center coming off the bench can handle — and occasionally, starters too.

But more than anything else, Williams has both the numbers and name recognition needed to bring home his third award. It’s a very good thing the Pacers find one of their players in the running for the award, but ultimately it’s just a nod to what Sabonis does for Indiana.