What Malcolm Brogdon said about winning NBA's Sixth Man of the Year
BOSTON -- Malcolm Brogdon was told when he was acquired by the Celtics that he would be coming off the bench in Boston. It was a big change for the veteran guard, who had started every game that he played in the previous four seasons.
It would require Brogdon, who had been a central piece of the Indiana Pacers for the last three seasons, to sacrifice a lot. His minutes would dip and so would his touches. In a league like the NBA, where egos run wild, it's not a move that many players would sign up for.
But after six seasons with little playoff success, it was a sacrifice that Brogdon was willing to make. He went out and had a spectacular season as the Celtics' bench leader, and on Thursday night, Brogdon was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year.
"A lot of what happens between the lines out here is about ego. And if you can check you ego at the door, a lot of the time you're going to be better off," Brogdon told the TNT pregame crew Thursday night after winning the award. "When the trade happened, I talked to Brad Stevens and they told me straight up, 'You're going to be coming off the bench. We have a formula here, we have something that works. We think you can be a key piece and really help us but you're role is going to be coming off the bench.' And I chose to embrace that."
All that sacrifice was worth it as the Celtics racked up 57 wins in the regular season and are one of the favorites to win an NBA title this postseason. Had the Celtics had a bench contributor like Brogdon last year, they'd likely be the defending champs.
After winning the award Thursday, Brogdon thanked the Celtics' brass, his coaching staff in Boston, and his teammates for making it all worth it. He also said that his time in Indiana, when he made just one trip to the postseason in three years, was a bit of a "gut check."
"Maybe I'm not a No. 1 guy. But I can be a great No. 2, 3 or 4," he said. "Coming to Boston and playing behind [Jayson Tatum] and [Jaylen Brown], guys that are proven All-Stars and All-NBA guys, it's definitely a great fit for me."
Brogdon came off the bench in all 67 games that he played this season, giving the Celtics 14.9 points per game off some incredibly solid shooting. He knocked down 48 percent of his shots overall, and hit a career-best 44.4 percent from 3-point range. His presence on the floor took a ton of pressure off guys like Tatum and Brown, and kept the Boston offense going when either of those two were on the bench.
Ahead of Thursday's announcement, Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke of Brogdon's impact on the team. And it goes much further than just the offensive end of the floor.
"[He's] the spearhead of the second unit," said Mazzulla. "Whether it's scoring in early offense, whether it's his pick-and-roll threes, his catch-and-shoot threes, and really, his defense. The defensive system we play can be unique. It can be different than most players have seen on other teams, and so when they come here, it just takes getting used to. It's just his ability to adjust to our defensive scheme and really make an impact on that end of the floor has helped us."
Brogdon is now setting his sights on another trophy, with the Celtics looking to win their first title since 2008. Boston will look to take a 3-0 lead over the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs on Friday night.
