The Boston Celtics are officially on the board when it comes to the NBA’s end-of-season awards.
Malcolm Brogdon was named the 2023 NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Thursday, narrowly edging out New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis. In winning the newly minted “John Havlicek Trophy,” Brogdon joins Kevin McHale (1984, 1985) and Bill Walton (1986) as the third Celtic to win the league’s annual honor.
Brogdon, who is in his first season with the Celtics, spoke about the honor on TNT’s “Inside The NBA.”
“It’s such an honor,” Brogdon said. “It’s definitely been a transition for me, coming from Indiana to Boston, but I’m with a great organization. I’ve got great teammates, a great coaching staff — Joe (Mazzulla) has taken over and done a great job. So I definitely want to thank those guys for everything.”
The 30-year-old was the only player in the NBA to rank in the top three in scoring, rebounding and assists among players who didn’t start in a regular-season game. He finished the regular season averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He also finished the year ranked fourth in the NBA in three-point percentage with a career single-season high 44.4% from beyond the arc.
Brogdon ranked first in minutes played (1743.8), second in made field goals (354), third in total points (1,000) and clutch points (42) and fourth in assists (248) among reserve players, according to Celtics public relations.
It is the third annual honor that Brogdon has won in his career, capturing the Rookie of the Year award in 2017 and J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2020.
