NBA Awards: Immanuel Quickley Making a Run at Sixth Man of the Year

Consensus Favorite: Malcolm Brogdon (-200)

The Celtics won the Eastern Conference last season but lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals. The Warriors exposed the Celtics’ thin bench in that series, and the Celtics made several bold moves in the offseason to bolster their bench with veteran scorers. They added Malcolm Brogdon in a trade with the Indiana Pacers a huge upgrade.

Brogdon would be a starter on almost any other team in the NBA, but the Celtics wanted him to provide an offensive spark off the bench while still maintaining a high level of defense. Brogdon averages 14.6 points per game this season, and he s the team s third-best scorer as the sixth man. He also contributes 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting a blistering 46% from 3-point range.

Since the Celtics acquired him, Brogdon has been one of the betting favorites to win Sixth Man of the Year. He’s currently the consensus favorite at -200 odds, but Brogdon has to worry about maintaining his health and the emergence of Quickley.

Overall, Brogdon appeared in only 70% of all games during his first six seasons as a pro. He missed 59 games in his first three seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and missed 80 games in three seasons with the Pacers. He missed 46 games last season, and the Pacers were happy to deal the injury-prone Brogdon to the Celtics.

So far this season, Brogdon only missed nine games with the Celtics, but a late-season injury in the final 20 games could derail his chances of winning the Sixth Man of the Year.

Top 5: Norman Powell (+500), Tyrese Maxey (+1500), and Russell Westbrook (+5000)

Powell is the third-best scorer for the Los Angeles Clippers as their sixth man. He averages 16.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game off the bench while shooting 41% from 3-point range. Powell is second on the awards board at +500 odds to win Sixth Man of the Year.

, a guard with the Philadelphia 76ers, is currently fourth overall at +1500 odds. He began the season as the starting point guard until he sustained a foot injury. When he returned from his injury, Maxey came off the bench as the Sixth Man. Head coach Doc Rivers liked how the offense flowed with Maxey as the sixth man, so he remained in that role.

Point guard Russell Westbrook began the season as the sixth man with the Los Angeles Lakers. He reluctantly embraced his demotion but quickly found his groove. Westbrook competed with Brogdon as the early betting favorite to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, but he s cooled down since then.

The shortly before the NBA trade deadline. He didn t play any games with the Jazz, as the two parties arranged a contract buyout. Westbrook became a free agent and returned to Los Angeles to .

It s uncommon to see two players from the same team compete for Sixth Man of the Year honors, but this is the case with the Clippers due to a trade. Westbrook just joined the team while Powell established himself as the first player off the bench all season.

The Clippers lost four consecutive games with Westbrook on the team, which won t help his campaign to win the Sixth Man of the Year. Westbrook s odds slipped in recent weeks, and he s fifth on the NBA awards board at +5000 odds.