2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds Heading Into All-Star Weekend
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Malcolm Brogdon is on his way to adding Sixth Man of the Year honors to his resume which already includes the Rookie of the Year award.
The first player off the bench for the first-place Celtics is the odds-on favorite at -161 to win the Sixth Man award. Clippers guard Norman Powell and 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey both have a puncher’s chance as they are tied for the second-best odds at +350, but it’s seemingly Brogdon’s award to lose at the All-Star break.
2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds
Malcolm Brogdon -161
Norman Powell +350
Tyrese Maxey +350
Russell Westbrook +1500
Jordan Poole +2800
Bennedict Mathurin +2800
Sixth Man of the Year Trends and Analysis
Three of the last five winners of Sixth Man of the Year averaged 20-plus points per game—something that’s only been done five times in NBA history—and the other two both scored better than 18 points per game. Brogdon presents a break from that instant offense off the bench, a mold that Powell and Maxey fit quite a bit better.
Place Your Bets for NBA Sixth Man of the Year on SI Sportsbook
The Celtics sent five players and a first-round pick to the Pacers in the offseason in exchange for Brogdon, a deal that has already paid dividends. His 14.7 points per game is his lowest mark since his sophomore season, but it’s the third-most on the team behind only Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Brogdon is also in the midst of one of the healthiest campaigns of his career, having played in 50 of 59 games to date.
His shooting efficiency is one of his biggest strengths and helps contribute to one of the league’s highest-graded offenses. Brogdon is a touch below 50/40/90 shooting splits and he leads the NBA in three-point percentage (45.5). He’s not the team’s top passer—Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Tatum all average more assists—but he’s a complete player off the bench capable of taking care of the ball, playing suitable defense and closing games for a contender.
Brogdon was +1100 to win the award before the season began, the fourth-best odds behind Jordan Poole, Tyler Herro and Christian Wood.
Powell is a more prototypical Sixth Man of the Year candidate, and not just because he plays for the Clippers, home to three of the last five winners and five of the last 10. After only playing five games for Los Angeles a year ago, he’s played in 50 out of 61 games this season and has gotten better with each month.
Powell’s 17 points per game average is third-best on the team behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and he’s up to 21.3 so far in February after a strong showing in January. With a three-point percentage of 41.7, he’s the best volume outside shooter on the team after Luke Kennard was traded away. He’s not adding much as a distributor or defender, but he provides consistent points off the bench for a team that needs help on offense, especially when its stars are out, which happens often.
Maxey remained in Philadelphia’s starting lineup early in the year after his phenomenal postseason play last spring. He was scoring with ease, averaging close to 23 points per game through the first 15 games of the season until a fractured bone in his foot sidelined him for more than a month. Maxey started a handful of games upon his return but De’Anthony Melton took over as the starting two guard next to James Harden.
With an average of 19.8 points per game, though, he’s the highest-scoring non-starter in the league. Still, there are two things working against Maxey’s Sixth Man of the Year case: He’s only played in 38 of 57 games so far this season and of the games he’s played, he started more than half of them (22).
The home stretch of the season will be interesting for Maxey. He likely can’t miss many more games. However, he does play more minutes (32.8) than Brogdon (25.3) or Powell (25.8), which is largely a function of his past status as a starter, but his total minutes played are on par with both players.
For a while, the idea of Russell Westbrook winning Sixth Man of the Year, six years after he won MVP, seemed very realistic—until the Lakers traded him to the Jazz, who he’s yet to suit up for. The expectation is he will be bought out, and there’s already rumors about where he will sign once that happens. It seems unlikely that he has much of a chance to win the award at this point, especially given that his contributions would be split across two teams.
Poole, the preseason favorite, was thrust back into the starting lineup for the Warriors with Steph Curry sidelined. He’s already started 35 games this season, likely ruling him out of contention, though his numbers are plenty impressive.
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