My NBA Awards ballot: picking every NBA award for the 2023-24 season
By Ben Handler
6th Man of the Year
This was another painstaking award to pick as there are multiple great options for the honor. Norman Powell and Russell Westbrook were both great for the Clippers and helped keep them afloat at times, but they kind of canceled each other out.
Caris LeVert was huge for the Cavs this season, especially with all the injuries they had, and took some major steps as a passer and playmaker. TJ McConnell did a great job for the Pacers, giving them some much-needed grit and poise off the bench as they dealt with their own injuries.
And Bogdan Bogdanovic had a wonderful year for the Hawks and was one of the lone bright spots in a very disappointing season. But this one ultimately came down to Malik Monk and Naz Reid.
Monk was a crucial cog in the Kings offense, especially late in games. His injury is a major reason that the team is likely drawing dead in any playoff matchup, and may not even survive the Play-In. But the Kings fell off down the stretch and were limping to the finish line even before Monk got hurt.
I opted to go with Reid, one of the best two-way bigs in the league and a guy who came in and did it all this year for a Wolves team that finished 56-26. Reid was a beast on both ends and stepped his offense up in a major way this year when needed. He helped the team barely miss a beat without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, and was involved in many of their best lineups. This team isn’t where they are with Naz, and he’s a big part of the reason I think they can beat the Sun in round one.