The NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award may not be the most prestigious accolade out there, but players take pride in coming off the bench and contributing for their team.
New York guard Immanuel Quickly has filled that role perfectly for the Knicks but for some reason he’s getting overlooked in the voting and odds for the award.
Malcolm Brogdon of the Milwaukee Bucks is the odds-on favorite to win the award at -160, with Norman Powell, Tyrese Maxey, and Russell Westbrook coming up behind him between +400 and +1200. You have to scroll all the way down to +25000 to find Quickley.
EJ Stewart and Tommy Beer of the Audacy Original Podcast “Orange & Blue Bloods” explained why they’re shocked that Quickley is getting so overlooked in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.
“I think that that’s an oversight. I think some of that comes with the lack of emphasis on defense,” Stewart said (1:25 in player above). “Immanuel Quickley’s offense has been great for about two or three months now but he had a really rough stretch early in the season when he couldn’t buy a basket. That kind of really hurt his efficiency numbers. His offensive numbers look fine over the course of the season.”
Quickley is averaging 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while primarily coming off the bench. A poor start to the season (8.7 points per game in October, 9.6 in November) slowed him down, as Stewart mentioned, but the guard averaged over 15 points per contest in December and January.
“Some of these guys I think their efficiency numbers are putting them ahead of Quickley but none of those guys – maybe except for Brogdon – can say like defend like him,” Stewart continued. “When we talk about Sixth Man of the Year, oftentimes I think people pigeonhole a certain role as a guy who’s coming in just scoring, and Quickley has certainly done that, but I think the fact that he’s not getting a lot of love has to also do with the fact they’re not valuing his defense.”
Offense is obviously important, but defense should be factored in as well. Brogdon shouldn’t be running away with the award so quickly.
“I am stunned. I looked at this earlier this week and I could not believe the odds,” Beer said. “The award is Sixth Man of the Year. It’s not sixth man who averages the most points… It’s about sixth man all-around contributions. So the same way we view MP, obviously offense is important but it’s your overall impact on the game. I find it impossible to argue that Quickley isn’t at least in the top five; very difficult to argue that he’s not in the top three. And I think you could make a very strong case that it’s either him or Brogdon.”
Brogdon plays for a much better team than Quickly which impacts some of the numbers. However, a team’s record shouldn’t necessarily play a part in an individual award like this one.
The Knicks have 22 games left for Quickley to shine and move up the Sixth Man of the Year charts.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram