When people talk about end-of-season awards for the NBA, most think of the MVP trophy, which has long been the highest honor for any player.
But NBA stars aren’t just looking to win that coveted prize, there are multiple awards that they have their eyes on.
Rookie of the Year is always a hot item, as is Defensive Player of the Year too.
But the Sixth Man of the Year prize is perhaps the most interesting and telling prize.
It is given to the best player who isn’t a starter, a guy who comes off the bench and does the most for his team.
Favorites for 6th man of the year:
1. Russell Westbrook
2. Jordan Poole
3. Malcolm Brogdon
4. Norman Powell
5. Bennedict Mathurin
6. Christian Wood
7. Malik Monk
8. Bobby Portis
9. Bogdan Bogdanovic
10. Bones Hyland(Via @betonline_ag )
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 2, 2023
We won’t know who has won this prize for months.
However, there are already numerous betting websites making predictions.
Believe it or not, they are generally pretty accurate with their estimates.
Right now, the top candidates for Sixth Man are Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers, Norman Powell of the Los Angeles Clippers, Malcolm Brogdon of the Boston Celtics, Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors, and Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sixth Man Success
Seeing Westbrook at the top of this chart is actually quite stunning and marks an amazing turnaround for the star.
Just a couple of months ago, there were some people saying that Westbrook could be headed to an exit from the NBA.
When the season started, Westbrook was not playing well.
He definitely didn’t fit in the starting lineup for the Lakers.
But when head coach Darvin Ham decided to make him a bench player, Westbrook turned his fortunes around.
Other guys on this list, particularly Mathurin of the Pacers, have really impressed and immediately had an impact on their squad.
The entire shortlist of players is filled with terrific stars who are bench players but could be promoted to starters at any moment.
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