Former ASU standout James Harden on Thursday, as widely expected, was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. | On Twitter: Harden getting congratulated.Other ex-Sun Devil basketball players to have won NBA awards include Byron Scott (2007-08 Coach of the Year with New Orleans Hornets) and Isaac Austin (1996-97 NBA Most Improved Player Award with the Miami Heat).During this lockout-shortened season of 66 games, Harden led all bench players with 16.8 points per game (a career high) as well as 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals. Harden logged an average of 31.4 minutes per game.Against the Suns on April 18, Harden had his finest game as a pro, scoring 40 points. he made 12 of 17 shots, including 5 of 8 3-pointers, to become the first NBA reserve to score 40 since Dallas’ Rodrigue Beaubois on March 27, 2010. He also went 11-for-11 at the free-throw line.Harden received 584 of a possible 595 points, including 115 of a possible 119 first-place votes. A panel of 119 sportswriters and broadcasters in the U.S. and Canada did the voting.Louis Williams, who led the 76ers in scoring (14.9 points per game) despite not starting a single game, finished second. Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks, who won the award in 2008-09, was third in the voting. Denver’s Al Harrington and San Antonio’s Manu Ginobli rounded out the top five in voting.In order to be eligible for this award, players had to come off the bench in more games than they started.Photo courtesy thesundevils.com