Mr. Sixth Man Has Been Ousted from the Top of the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds Board
By: James Tillman
The Sixth Man of the Year race has been an interesting one thus far and by far the most competitive out of the categories we cover at OddsUSA. While Lou Williams has led the way in this category during the past several weeks, a somewhat noticeable change has taken place.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the updated odds for the top three players vying for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award based on how they performed over the past week (Feb. 25 through Mar. 2)
6th Man of the year odds
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Third-Best NBA 6th Man of the Year Odds: Montrezl Harrell (+200) Last Week’s Odds (+175)
Montrezl Harrell has been a key contributor off the bench for the LA Clippers this season and that trend was on display again over the past week. Sure, his performance against the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 24 (eight points and six rebounds) don’t jump off the stat sheet, but here’s a look at what he did in his other two outings. Against the Denver Nuggets, Harrell scored 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists.
In the team’s next outing against the Philadelphia 76ers, Harrell just missed another double-double as he finished with 24 points and nine rebounds. Harrell’s chances of winning the award aren’t all that great, but considering he’s averaging career-highs in both points and rebounds, it comes as no surprise as to why he is in the conversation.
Second Best NBA 6th Man of the Year Odds: Lou Williams (+175) Last Week’s Odds (+150)
Yes, I must admit that it is strange seeing a pair of teammates on the list in any race, but here we are. Like Harrell, Sweet Lou had a pedestrian showing against the Suns as he finished with just six points on seven shot attempts.
However, he did bounce back with a 17-point, seven-assist outing against the Nuggets. And he saved his best outing of the week for last, scoring 24 points along with eight assists and two rebounds in the team’s win against the 76ers. As previously stated, Williams had been the odds-on favorite in this category, and it will be interesting to see if he’ll be able to reclaim the top spot down the stretch.
Top NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds: Dennis Schroder (+130) Last Week’s Odds (+200)
Schroder, who was on the outside looking in over the past few weeks, has catapulted to the No. 1 spot on the list. In Oklahoma City’s 124-122 win over the Chicago Bulls, he contributed 21 points on an efficient 8-for-12 shooting to go along with five assists and two rebounds. In the next outing against the Sacramento Kings, Schroder finished with 13 points (connecting on just four of his 12 attempts) five rebounds and seven assists.
Unfortunately, the downward spiral continued in his final outing of the week against the Milwaukee Bucks. In that contest, he scored just nine points on 3-for-9 shooting in 21 minutes of action. Milwaukee went on to win that game 133-86. Despite the slight dip in production over the last two games, Schroder deserves credit as he is one of the reasons why the Thunder are competing for a playoff berth. At the same token, his time as the top of this list will more than likely be a short one.
