NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds Shift Dramatically Following Malik Monk's Injury
By Reed Wallach
The NBA awards markets looked to be all but wrapped up, but that was until Friday night.
Sixth Man of the Year favorite Malik Monk left the Kings' loss to the Mavericks Friday night with a knee injury that has been deemed a sprained MCL, plummeting his odds to win the award in the wake of the fact that he will likely miss the remainder of the regular season.
Kings guard Malik Monk is feared to have suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee and will undergo further testing, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Arguably the NBA's best Sixth Man has averaged nearly 16 points and five assists a night. pic.twitter.com/J6KllcYz4W
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 30, 2024
Monk has been an odds on favorite to win the award for the last several weeks behind explosive playmaking off the bench, averaging 15 points, nearly three rebounds and over five assists for Sacramento. However, the Kings have slid into the Play-In Tournament due while another contender has emerged in Naz Reid.
Ahead of Friday's injury, Reid had become the latest role player to make a run at Monk's status as a favorite with his odds shrinking as much to +300. Reid has comparable numbers to Monk, averaging over 13 points with five rebounds while also filling in for Karl-Anthony Towns as the big man next to Rudy Gobert and helping the Timberwolves get to the top of the Western Conference.
Now, with Monk set to miss the final stretch of the season, the runway is open for Reid to capture the votes to win the award, and the odds are reflecting that with Reid nearly neck-and-neck with Monk.
It's worth noting that Reid is also campaigning for the award, which can also help his case if he continues to produce for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference down the stretch.
.@JonKrawczynski asked Naz Reid postgame what it would mean to win the sixth man of the year award
— Sheldon Wohlman (@3swohlman) March 28, 2024
Naz: “It would be huge. I mean, it’s obviously something that I’m pushing for. But, you know, winning comes first obviously. But I would definitely love to have that accolade under… pic.twitter.com/5gPL4MazqN
For now, here's the updated betting market on what has quickly become the most fascinating award market in the NBA.
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2024 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award Odds
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.