Top 5 contenders for Sixth Man of the Year

#4 Kyle Kuzma

Kuzma scores against the Clippers

In addition to being in the running for Rookie of the Year honors, Kyle Kuzma is also in contention for an award not reserved just for players in their first season in the league. Out of 76 games that he's played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kuzma has started 36 - a total that makes him eligible for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Kuzma has 17 double-doubles for the season and has scored more than 20 points in a commendable total of 25 games. He is averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on 45.2 percent shooting from the floor and 36.8% shooting from behind the 3-point arc.

In most games, Kuzma is thrown on in the first half as a substitute, and in games when he gets hot, he is kept in for the entire match. He's won the Lakers a minimum of four games with his scoring prowess, and on his night he is a handful for any defender.

The most refreshing aspect of Kuzma is his supreme self-confidence - it helps him to keep shooting even on bad days, and change the complexion of his box score stats from ugly to passable most of the time.