James Harden: 5 Reasons to Fear the Beard for Sixth Man of the Year

James Harden will win Sixth Man of the Year at the end of the 2011-12 NBA season because he is well-rounded, has personality and is on one of the best teams in the NBA.

As the Oklahoma City Thunder has gotten better and more noticed on the NBA scene, fans are noticing a third budding star in Harden to join Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. This increased exposure has turned Harden into one of the most well-known young players in the game.

His play has been so good, that many now believe he should be starting with Durant and Westbrook. That reality doesn’t appear to be near. He’s started just one game out of seven this season, and that was because of injuries.

He is the best bench player in the game. Here are five reasons why he’ll win the award to prove it.

A Good Team

The last eight Sixth Man of the Year award winners have all been contributors on teams that made the playoffs. James Harden will continue that trend, as he is on one of the best teams in the NBA.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is 5-2 right now, putting them in contention for the top spot in the Western Conference. If the Thunder can get that top spot, or even close, it will do wonders for Harden’s chances at winning the award.

Personality

Personality is important anytime you’re talking about awards that people vote on. It helps you stand out from the crowd and gives people something to like about you beyond your play on the court.

James Harden has a great personality, and it spills over onto the court. Every time he makes a three-pointer, he does a motion like he’s putting six-shooters back into holsters. It’s a fun thing that Oklahoma City fans love.

Generally, Harden smiles a lot on the court and the cameras seem to catch it at least once a game. The guy genuinely enjoys the game of basketball, and it shows. That type of personality is big part of why Kevin Durant has become a fan and media darling. The same could very easily happen with Harden.

Well-Rounded

One must be well-rounded and contribute in a variety of ways to be a good candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. Manu Ginobili, Jason Terry and Lamar Odom are all recent winner and each can do multiple things for his team.

Such is the case with Harden. This season, Harden is averaging 17 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and a steal per game. He has been a picture of versatility and improvement, shooting a career-high 45 percent from the field and 90 percent from the line. Harden does everything well. When he comes into games, Thunder fans expect good thing to happen, and they almost always do.

Another area that Harden excels in is defense. As you will be able to see from watching series of highlights of James Harden guarding Kobe Bryant, Harden can be a very good defender when the Thunder need him to be. That’s comforting, since his defense was the biggest question mark about him coming out of college.

Harden is a good scorer, distributor, rebounder, shooter, and defender. What else could a team want out of a sixth man?

Scoring

This particular area gets a slide to itself because it is so important. Here is a breakdown of the last eight Sixth Men of the Year and their points per game averages during that season.

2010-11: Lamar Odom, 14.4

2009-10: Jamal Crawford, 18

2008-09: Jason Terry, 19.6

2007-08: Manu Ginobili, 19.5

2006-07: Leandro Barbosa, 18.1

2005-06: Mike Miller, 13.7

2004-05: Ben Gordon, 15.1

2003-04: Antawn Jamison, 14.8

Using these last eight winners as a model, the winner of this award needs to average approximately 16.65 points per game. So far this season, James Harden is averaging 17 points per game.

History tends to repeat itself, and it will this season. Harden’s points will probably go up even higher, as his three-point shot improves and he gets used to playing more minutes.

Who Else?

There will not be anyone else in the NBA this season that will be able to match James Harden’s contributions to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Scoring is the biggest factor in this award, and right now, only Lou Williams of the Philadelphia 76ers in the entire NBA scoring more off the bench than Harden. Unfortunately for Williams, Harden beats him in assists, rebounds, steals and free throw percentage. He also is on a much better team.

Harden will win this award. When it comes down to it, voters will have to give it to Harden because he does too much well off the bench. No other bench player will even be able approach the numbers he puts up across the board.

James Harden will be the Sixth Man of the Year for the 2011-12 NBA season. Book it.