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The Boston Celtics have proven to be one of the best clubs in the association in 2022-23, and, among many contributing factors, Malcolm Brogdon has been one of their most reliable on-court asserts.
Acquired by the ball club via offseason trade with the Indiana Pacers, throughout his first season with the organization the veteran guard has been trusted to lead the charge for the club’s second unit.
His efforts and impact off the bench have been so substantial, in fact, that the folks at Bleacher Report have gone as far as to suggest that Brogdon should be deemed the league’s Sixth Man of the Year come season’s end.
“Brogdon’s role was defined and kept consistent as soon as he arrived in Boston via trade, as the 30-year-old came off the bench in all 67 of his games. After starting every contest the past four years, Brogdon thrived in his new role with 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in just 26.0 minutes, all while ranking fourth in the NBA with a 44.4 percent mark from three.
“As good as Quickley was this season, his numbers as a reserve (12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists in 25.6 minutes, 35.2 percent from three) were noticeably lower while playing for a worse team. The third-leading scorer on a Celtics team that’s going to finish with the second-best record in the NBA, Brogdon was his usual consistent self in a new role while bumping up his overall shooting efficiency in the process.” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz wrote.
The Celtics inch toward the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign boasting the league’s fourth-best bench net rating (2.1) and the third-best bench defensive rating (51.1), the latter of which being a stark improvement from last season’s second-unit standing with the primary difference between the two groups being the addition of Malcolm Brogdon.
Damian Lillard Votes Immanuel Quickley Over Celtics Guard
Though the folks at Bleacher Report may see Malcolm Brogdon as the ‘overwhelming favorite’ for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard seems to have a different opinion on who’s most deserving of the moniker.
On April 7, the perennial All-Star quote-tweeted a Tweet from the account NBA Central that was discussing all the likely candidates for the illustrious award and noted that his vote would be for New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley.
The consensus opinion among oddsmakers seems to be that the fight for the Sixth Man of the Year award this season is a two-man race between the Celtics guard and Quickley.
The third-year Knicks guard is posting impressive per-game averages of 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 44.8% from the field and 36.7% from distance.
JD Davison Could Have Increased Role For Celtics
With the 2022-23 regular season coming to its inevitable climax, head coach Joe Mazzulla may look to lean on some of the club’s lesser-utilized players in order to give his key contributors a bit of a rest in preparation for the playoffs.
A recent injury report released by the team’s official Twitter page revealed that rookie JD Davison was the team’s lone backcourt talent not to have his availability status appear to be up in the air, as Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, Marcus Smart, and Payton Pritchard are all currently listed as “questionable” for their Friday night bout against the Toronto Raptors.
The 53 pick from this past draft class, Davison has spent the majority of his time suiting up for the Maine Red Claws down in the G League, where he’s posted averages of 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per contest while shooting 50.6% from the field and 31.7% from deep through 26 games played.
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