Is Russell Westbrook the Best Sixth Man in the NBA?
There were plenty of questions about Russell Westbrook and his future ahead of the season, but he’s making the most of his new role with the Los Angeles Lakers. The former star point guard is coming off the bench in Tinsel Town, and he’s seen some sizable line movement in favor of him taking home the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
NBA Sixth Man of the Year BetMGM Insights
- Highest Ticket%: Norman Powell 19.7%
- Highest Handle%: Jordan Poole 28.2%
- Biggest Liability: Norman Powell
- Odds Leader: Russell Westbrook +175
When you’re being paid nearly $50 million to come off the bench, you know that something hasn’t added up with Westbrook in his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. New head coach Darvin Ham made the decision that this was the best role for the point guard this season, and even with all the headlines surrounding it, it appears they made the correct call.
Through his first 12 games, Westbrook has averaged 16.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. There’s room for improvement, but Westbrook is always going to be a volume shooter, and it’s hard to envision a world where his shooting percentage rises much higher than 41.2%.
With Westbrook filling the stat sheet off the bench, there’s been some very fascinating positive line movement in his favor. Entering last week, the highly scrutinized Lakers guard had +3500 odds to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, but he’s since seen that number bet down all the way to +175.
He’s now the odds-on favorite to win the award. What might be more interesting here is that despite his odds being bet down, he’s tallied just 11.2% of tickets, along with 9.2% of the handle. Those numbers have him in third and fourth overall in ticket and handle percentages. Of course, starting the season off the board for the award is a big reason why.
With Westbrook’s new role and the constant spotlight on the Lakers, it’s not surprising that he’s gaining attention to win the award.
