Naz Reid Wins NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Award, Bogdan Bogdanovic Finishes 5th
While he was not a finalist for the 6th Man Of The Year Award, Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic picked up some first-place votes and finished 5th in this years voting. Minnesota Timberwolves forward Naz Reid won the award and Malik Monk, Bobby Portis, and Norman Powell finished ahead of Bogdanovic.
While it was not completely surprising to see Bogdanovic left off as a finalist, I think he had a good enough season to be considered for this. Bogdanovic averaged 16.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG while shooting 37% from three and 43% from the field. He set the Hawks single-season franchise record for three-pointers in a single season. PerCleaning the Glass, Bogdanovic had a positive point differential of +11.9 when on the floor, the highest mark for anyone on the Hawks.
When picking his winners for the NBA Awards, ESPN's Zach Lowe had Bogdanovic finishing in third place as a finalist for the award, behind Reid and Monk.
Here is what Lowe had to say about Bogndonovic's case to be a finalist, including him saying he thought he would get some first-place votes.
"Some voters argue that rewarding Bogdanovic and Reid for their contributions as replacement starters cuts against the idea of an award intended for reserves. (I wrote extensively about Bogdanovic's case here.) I have always rejected that, dating to Lamar Odom's heyday. The ability to shape-shift -- to take on whatever role the team needs -- is baked into the concept of a sixth man, or "sixth starter." Players are eligible as long as they come off the bench in more games than they start. (Josh Hart is barely ineligible for this reason.)
Both Reid and Bogdanovic should get some first-place votes."
Bogdanovic was not a finalist, though I think you can make the case that he should have been and he is one of the biggest snubs of the award nominees.
