One of the more interesting individual award competitions this season in the NBA is the Sixth Man of the Year.
Right now, it appears that guard Emmanuel Quickle of the New York Knicks is the big favorite to win the award, but of course, there are some who would disagree and vouch for Malcolm Brogdon of the Boston Celtics.
One of them is Keith Smith.
I like Emmanuel Quickly, but Malcolm Brogdon is 6MOY.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) April 6, 2023
Quickley has played a key role in the Knicks surpassing nearly everyone’s expectations while clinching a playoff spot for the second time in the last three seasons, zooming to the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
He is averaging 14.3 points and 3.3 assists per game this season while shooting a career-high 44.5 percent from the field.
But many believe Brogdon has had an even bigger impact on the Celtics, who are second in the East.
The 6-foot-5 guard is scoring 14.7 points per game while shooting 48.2 percent overall and 44.0 percent from 3-point range.
He has turned a Celtics bench that was downright anemic last season into something mighty and respectable.
During last June’s NBA Finals, that bench was one of the reasons Boston blew a 2-1 series lead and lost the world championship in six games to the Golden State Warriors.
But this time, there’s someone in Brogdon who can single-handedly change the complexion of the game off the bench.
If the Celtics return to the championship series, he could be the difference this time around.
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