The Oklahoma City Thunder were well-represented in the NBA’s Saturday announcement of award finalists.
Guard Dennis Schroder is one of the three finalists for Sixth Man of the Year.
Billy Donovan is among the final choices for Coach of the Year.
Schroder has put together one of his finer seasons as a pro, averaging 18.9 points, 4.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game.
He is shooting 46.9 from the field and 37.9 from 3, both of which are career-bests.
The guard has been a key piece to the Thunder’s success. His role allows the Thunder to almost always keep two starting-level guards on the court while resting the third, and when all three are together, the team goes to a different level.
That three-man guard group has the best net rating of any three-man lineup in the league, and has made the Thunder the best team during crunch time moments this season.
The other two finalists for Sixth Man of the Year are Los Angeles Clippers center Montrezl Harrell and guard Lou Williams.
Donovan is up against Milwaukee Bucks’ Mike Budenholzer and Toronto Raptors’ Nick Nurse for the Coach of the Year Award.
Despite Oklahoma City trading away its two stars and revamping the roster this offseason, Donovan successfully changed the team’s style of play and got the players to be cohesive and together en route to a surprise playoff run.
Expected to win 32 games and given 0.2% odds to make the playoffs did not stop Donovan or the Thunder.
They haven’t just secured a playoff spot; there’s a real chance they could enter the postseason as the fourth seed.
Donovan successfully altering the identity of the Thunder in a transformative season, meshing the playing identities of the veterans and young role players, and surpassing expectations has him firmly in the running with the two leaders in the Eastern Conference.
Donovan and Budenholzer were voted the coaches association co-Coaches of the Year, with Nurse behind by one vote.
The winners will be announced on TNT during the season restart, the league announced, different than the usual announcement that would come after the Finals.
