Surprise Leader Emerges in 6th Man of the Year Betting Odds

You could've gotten some nice odds on this one before the season began, but the leader, and now pulling away from the pack, for NBA Sixth Man of the Year is none other than the Sacramento Kings' Malik Monk.

MALIK MONK ELEVATES FOR THE LOB 😱pic.twitter.com/UwuPXYkuR8

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 27, 2024

Monk has been soaring up the leaderboard recently and now stands as a +100 betting favourite at BetMGM Sportsbook. There is really only one other competitor even in the running at this point. 

Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Dallas Mavericks was the consensus favorite and the leader in the odds for most of the season; he sits in second now in the betting at +175, while the LA Clippers' Norman Powell is way back in third spot at +750 odds. Hardaway and Immanuel Quickley, then of the New York Knicks, were the favorites coming into the season. 

Monk's red-hot February has seen him average 19.6 points, 3.6 boards and 4.7 assists, while shooting 51% from the floor. Overall this season, the Kings' Sixth Man is at 15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 37% shooting from three-point range. 

Malik Monk throws down an eastbay after the buzzer #LightTheBeam pic.twitter.com/dg8KdTjdYA

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 23, 2024

The 25-year-old finished fifth in the balloting last year for the award and has averaged 24 minutes off the bench for Sacramento in his two seasons there.

He's very nearly improved his scoring in each of his seven seasons in the NBA since being selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Charlotte Hornets.

In addition, the Kings' place among the top five or six teams in the Western Conference also helps with Monk's candidacy for the award. 

Interestingly, nine of the last 10 winners of Sixth Man played a similar position and style to the playmaking, scoring guard play that marks Monk's game. 

Photo: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports