Williams, Gordon, VanVleet named finalists for NBA's 6th Man of the Year
LA Clippers guard Lou Williams, Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon, and Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet were announced as the three finalists for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award on Wednesday.
The three finalists for #KiaSixth... @TeamLou23, @TheofficialEG10 and @FredVanVleet!
— NBA (@NBA) May 17, 2018
The 2018 #NBAAwards air 6/25 @NBAonTNT! pic.twitter.com/Mfc2tzJjuU
Williams made a serious case for his first-ever All-Star appearance this season after finishing the year with a career-high 22.6 points and 5.3 assists per game despite starting just 19 contests.
Gordon won the award last season and is in contention once again after averaging 18 points - his most since 2011. He could become the first player to win the award in consecutive seasons since Detlef Schrempf did so in 1991 and 1992.
One of the NBA's best stories, the undersized VanVleet went undrafted in 2016 and became the top player on a league-leading bench unit. Despite not having standout numbers, the 6-foot point guard's candidacy is likely a representation of the Raptors' backups.
The winner will be revealed June 25 at the NBA Awards show in Los Angeles.