Malik Monk gets hosed, voted runner-up in NBA 6th Man of the Year to Naz Reid
Someone call the basketball police, there’s been a vicious robbery. Media voters unjustifiably stole the NBA 6th Man of the Year award away from Malik Monk and dumped it in Naz Reid’s trophy room.
At the end of the regular season, Malik Monk was the overwhelming favorite to win the NBA 6th Man of the Year. Vegas had him at -700 odds and the next closest player to him, Naz Reid, came in at +500. Yet, somehow, someway, Reid pulled off an upset that rivaled that rivaled the likes of Oakland over Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
If it is any consolation (and it isn’t), the vote was the closest it has ever been since the ranked-choice format began during the 2002-03 season. Monk finished just 10 points behind Reid, 352-342.
Aside from my obvious homerism, there are objective stats that back up this former Wildcat screw job. Monk finished with 15.4 points per game and 5.1 assists per game, both of which were first among any bench players this season. He became the non-starter since Lou Williams to score 1,000 points and record over 350 assists. Compare that to Reid’s 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Moreover, Monk finished first in clutch points by a bench player.
Do you want another reason to be upset? Naz Reid started 14 out of the 81 games he played this season (Monk started zero), all while Karl-Anthony Towns sat out due to a knee injury. During those games, he had the highest win percentage of any Minnesota starter, and yet, he won 6th Man of the Year.
Like I said: highway robbery.
Silver lining: Could this be a good sign for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP bid?
The case for Naz Reid winning seems to be his impact on his team’s success. No one expected the Timberwolves to compete in the West, and yet they finished the season as the 3-seed, having led in the standings most of the year. Meanwhile, Monk’s Sacramento Kings lost out in the play-in games, though that was in no small part due to Monk’s injury absence.
If this voting trend stays consistent, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should upset Nikola Jokic for the MVP award. Similar to the Timberwolves, no one predicted the Oklahoma City Thunder would finish on top of the Western Conference standings. Led by a freshly minted NBA All-Star starter with Jordan-like scoring numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander is the most valuable player on arguably the league’s best team; certainly the most surprisingly great team in the league.
If Naz Reid can beat Malik Monk for 6th Man of the Year, Gilgeous-Alexander can (and should) beat Jokic.
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