Malik Monk appeared to have the Sixth Man of the Year award locked up.
Monk emerged as the heavy favorite for the award among the betting public with a career year. The Kings guard has posted averages of 15.6 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 44.3% from the field and 35.1% from beyond the arc. However, he will be sidelined for at least the remainder of the regular season due to a right MCL sprain.
The Sixth Man award is one of the few that isn’t subject to the 65-game minimum, which Monk surpassed anyway. But his absence down the stretch due to a knee injury could open the door for another candidate.
Monk’s main competitor for the award, Timberwolves big man Naz Reid, is receiving heavy minutes due to Karl-Anthony Towns’ knee injury. He averaged 16.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 blocks in 28.9 minutes per game last month.
Overall, Reid is averaging 13.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.9 blocks in 73 games, including eight starts.
The only other candidate who’s taking betting action is the Clippers’ Norman Powell. He’s averaging 14.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 70 games, while coming off the bench in all but one of those contests.
The Bucks’ Bobby Portis is also posting solid numbers – 13.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 74 games (one start).
That brings us to our topic of the day: Who is your choice for this year’s Sixth Man award – current favorite Malik Monk, Naz Reid, Norman Powell or Bobby Portis? Is there another player who’s worthy of consideration for the award?
Please take to the comments section to weigh on this topic. We look forward to your input.
hardaway should be in the convo. not the winner but not even mentioned in the article is insane to me
He’s in the conversation if you want to make it a long one.
link to sportsbookreview.com
These are the choices? There must be more candidates out there. Can someone tell me some more names for the sixth man award please
Caris LeVert, Russel Westbrook (once he plays two more games), Bogdan Bogdanovic (highest PPG of any candidate, though he’s on the worst team of the possibilities), and THJ have some of the best odds. Josh Hart has an outside shot. Benedict Mathurin and Trey Murphy III would probably have gotten some run, but both won’t have enough games played to make the cut. Rui Hachimura would also probably have gotten some run, but he has started too many games (you have to come off the bench more than you’ve started).
The three listed in the articles are the clear favorites, though. I wouldn’t take anyone else over them, tbh. Portis, Monk, Reid, in that order, for me.
You could maybe make an argument for Reggie Jackson on the Nuggets, but I’d place him firmly behind everyone else I mentioned.
If a player is firmly 10th then there isn’t an argument.
Like people don’t make arguments for players that far away from other awards.
Also, he’d be eighth. Rui, Murphy, and Mathurin are all ineligible and Hart will likely be ineligible shortly.
Yes Bogdanovic has been playing great and Hardaway is always great off the bench. Hart has been starting recently so idk. I appreciate you writing this. Your options are the best. I guess Bogdanovic if he ends this on a hot streak
exum > djj > thj
Russell Westbrook? Maybe he hasn’t met the 65-game thresold, hasn’t he?
The problem is he’s not even the best backup on his own team.
Man, that’s not a very inspiring field, right?
Portis or Reid…
Hard choice… Portis has better stats, Reid has a team with more wins…
I would say Portis. He’s had a bigger impact on his team’s fortunes than Reid has. I don’t think the Bucks would be hanging on to the 2-seed if he was replaced with Reid, or anyone else, for that matter. That’s not to dump on Reid, he’s been excellent for Minny, but Portis has often played the role of the team’s third star while Middleton is on the bench or injured. The Bucks have struggled a lot with inconsistency this season, and Portis has been second only to Giannis in holding them together.
As far as Reid is concerned, the Wolves have gotten good contributions from NAW and Kyle Anderson as well, whereas the Bucks have really only gotten mediocre bench contributions from Crowder (who has missed almost half the year) and Connaughton. Portis is head and shoulders above everyone else on that bench.
Josh Hart should be in conversation. Josh affects every game he plays in. It’s amazing to watch. Always in on plays that matter. Just knows how to be around the ball. You have to watch him to appreciate him.
I’d say Monk should get it.
Agreed on Hart. I don’t think he’ll get much traction because the voters tend to value PPG over the actual value of the players, but he’s definitely important to mention. Though he is getting kind of close to the cutoff. Four more starts and he’ll be ineligible.
Hart won’t qualify by the end of the season. He’s started 35 of 74 games (47%). Sixth men are required to start fewer than 50% of their games.
He will likely end the year at 42/81 (52%).
Sign Ryan Arcidiacono to a 10-day, and have him start from now until the regular season finale.
Naz Reid.
Who wants to talk about Knicks’ draft-and-stash projects, to hypothetically sign to a 10-day and start games, so to keep Josh Hart’s eligibility for Sixth Man of the Year?