Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon has won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. After narrowly beating out New York’s Immanuel Quickley, Brogdon becomes just the third member of the team to ever capture the honor. He joins Kevin McHale (’84-85, ’85-86) and Bill Walton (’87-88) to land the award wearing Celtic green.
A native of Georgia who played college hoops with the University of Virginia, Brogdon garnered quick acclaim as a pro after winning the 2017 Rookie of the Year Award with the Milwaukee Bucks. Injuries and roster turnover stalled Brogdon’s attempts at further glory with both Milwaukee and later the Indiana Pacers, and Brogdon was eventually traded to the Celtics this summer.
In Boston, Brogdon thrived as a supporting veteran with steady leadership and a deadly jumper. Not only did he shoot 44% on 3-pointers, the fourth best mark in the league, but Brogdon was efficient in a sometimes sporadic or inconsistent role. On the year, Brogdon averaged 14.9 points and 3.7 assists in 26.0 minutes of action, and has been a massive boost for one of the most potent offenses in the entire NBA.
Members of the Celtics have praised Brogdon’s professionalism and what he brings to the team all season long. His leadership on and off the court are harder to quantify, but they may be arguably more valuable than the shooting and passing.
Just a few hours before Brogdon was officially named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award winner, head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke about Brogdon’s poise and determination.
Each guy has had to sacrifice or put something aside for the better of this team. When you have the depth and talent we have, you can’t be this position to win without it.
I thought Malcolm taking on the identity of the second unit, dealing with that patience of sometimes finishing halves, sometimes not, sometimes finishing games, sometimes not finishing games, he handled it with humility.
Regardless of his sub pattern was or what he was doing, he just played. We’re grateful for that.
Mazzulla isn’t the only one who has been impressed by Brogdon’s sacrifice. Jaylen Brown recently shared his admiration for Brogdon’s commitment to the team.
“It’s been a process for him.” Brown said. “He’s accepted that role and been great.”
Fittingly, the honor was re-named for John Havlicek this December, a Celtics legend who had four All-Star nods coming off the bench for Boston. Brogdon is the first winner of the John Havlicek Sixth Man of the Year Award,
Brogdon is back in the postseason after a brief hiatus and a chance to win his first career NBA Title. As momentum picked up this spring regarding a possible Sixth Man of the Year Award win, he was quick to return focus to the team and to a shot at a championship.
“That’s everything to me,” Brogdon said. “I want to win.”
The Celtics are in Atlanta with a 2-0 series lead over the Hawks at the time of this writing. Boston’s chances of returning to the Finals and competing for an 18th banner look good, but there is plenty of postseason to play. For now, congrats to Malcolm Brogdon on being named the 2023 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
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