Video: If Dennis Schroder Wins Sixth Man of the Year There is Plenty of People to Thank

We'll tell you who Dennis Schroder needs to thank for his Sixth Man of the Year award.

If Dennis Schroder is named Sixth Man of the Year, his speech needs to be the longest in the history of the NBA awards show.  The list of names is long, and the show's producers will need to give him more than the allotted time limit to do everybody justice. 

There is Sam Presti for making a move to get Chris Paul from Houston. Pat Riley deserves a slap on the back for not wanting to bring  Paul to Miami. 

Paul himself gets kudos for fitting in seamless as the starting point guard, allowing Schroder to come off the bench score 19 points and play 30 minutes a game.  And let's not forget Billy Donovan, who is putting three point guards on the floor in closing time. 

That lineup featuring Schroder, Paul, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is outscoring the opposition by 29 points per 100 possessions. For good measure, he might want to thank opposing teams for allowing the Thunder to come back 16 times this season when they've trailed in the fourth quarter. 

The dominos had to fall just right for Schroder to be in this position. But, ultimately, it's  Schroder's selflessness that is allowing him to have what is amounting to a career year.

Earlier this season, he was asked about being mentioned as a Sixth man of Year, the candidate, and he said he wasn't trying to be the sixth man.   In a few words, Schroder said a lot. 

Not only does he not care about individual honors, but he also knows he can start. Usually, when a guy knows he can run a team, you get Reggie Jackson, a pouty malcontent that destroys the team concept. 

Schroder is just the opposite; whatever the future holds, be it here in Oklahoma City, or somewhere else Thunder fans owe him a round of thanks.