NBA Odds: Could Malcolm Brogdon Win Award In First Season With Celtics?
The newcomer is +1800 to win NBA Sixth Man of the Year
Malcolm Brogdon figures to come off the bench in his first season with the Boston Celtics.
Might that create a betting opportunity?
DraftKings Sportsbook released odds for NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and Brogdon sits fourth on the board at +1800 -- trailing only Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat (+450), Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors (+600) and Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz (+1200).
Obviously, it's difficult to gauge whether there's real value on Brogdon without knowing his exact role in Boston. By comparison, it's much easier to project how Herro, Poole and Clarkson, among others, will perform with their respective teams.
But there's no denying Brogdon's talent. He averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in 36 games with the Indiana Pacers last season, a year after averaging 21.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists across 56 contests.
Obviously, it'll be hard for Brogdon to replicate those numbers if the Celtics reduce his minutes in a bench role -- he started every game he played in over the past four seasons -- but a lighter workload actually could work in the veteran guard's favor.
Injuries have been an issue dating back to Brogdon's days with the Milwaukee Bucks, and how Celtics coach Ime Udoka deploys him could go a long way toward maintaining the 29-year-old's health, maximizing his impact and, by extension, boosting his NBA Sixth Man of the Year candidacy.
Brogdon is followed on the DraftKings Sportsbook betting board by Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers (+2000), Kelly Oubre Jr. of the Charlotte Hornets (+2000), Bones Hyland of the Denver Nuggets (+2000), Immanuel Quickley of the New York Knicks (+2500), Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks (+2500) and Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers (+2500).
Other Celtics of note: Derrick White (+5000), Grant Williams (+10000) and Danilo Gallinari (+20000).
The Celtics have received rave reviews for being able to land Brogdon at a reasonable trade cost after falling just two wins shy of an NBA title with a core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Robert Williams III. On paper, Brogdon seems like an excellent fit for Boston.
Perhaps that'll lead to some hardware -- in addition to the Larry O'Brien Trophy? -- a little extra change in your pocket if you're willing to take the preseason plunge.
