Houston Rockets: Best candidates for NBA awards

Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon was humble enough to accept a bench role in Houston after being a regular starter for his entire career, and it has paid off for both him and the team.

In Gordon’s two seasons with the Rockets, Houston has won 55 and 65 games. Gordon averaged 16.2 points and nailed 246 3-pointers, the fourth most in the league, which was enough for him to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award in the 2016-17 season.

Even with the addition of Chris Paul, Gordon got more scoring opportunities in the 2017-18 season. Last year, Gordon averaged 18 points per game and drilled 218 3-pointers. If Lou Williams didn’t have such a phenomenal season with the Clippers, Gordon would’ve won Sixth Man of the Year for a second consecutive season.

The Rockets added another scorer in Carmelo Anthony this offseason, but he won’t take too many looks away from Gordon. Anthony will get most of the shots that Trevor Ariza would’ve had and maybe he’ll steal a couple from the other perimeter players, but there is no reason for Gordon to average any less than 16 points per game next year. Out of all of the awards that players on the Rockets could win, I think Gordon has the best chance at winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Next: Defensive Player of the Year