NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Nominees Announced: Bogdan Bogdanovic Snubbed?
The nominees for the NBA's Sixth Man of The Year Award was just announced and there is one notable that is missing. Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, who had one of the best seasons as a 6th man this year, was left off as a finalist. Timberwolves forward Naz Reid, Bucks forward Bobby Portis, and Kings guard Malk Monk were named as the finalists for the award.
While it is not completely surprising to see Bogdanovic left off, 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. Per Cleaning the Glass, Bogdanovic had a positive point differential of +11.9 when on the floor, the highest mark for anyone on the Hawks.
These other players had fantastic seasons though. Monk was the favorite for the award before he was injured, but there seems to be some momentum for Reid to possibly take home the award. Portis has been one of the best bench players as well for a Milwaukee team that is hoping to make a run in the playoffs.
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.
