Pacers’ Bennedict Mathurin received votes for Sixth Man of the Year

Mathurin finished second in bench scoring this season and became the first rookie to score 1,000 points off the bench in 18 years.

The NBA announced Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon was named the Sixth Man of the Year after receiving 60 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.

Brogdon finished with 408 total points in the final vote, topping the 326 total points from New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley. Milwaukee Bucks center Bobby Portis (97 points) rounded out the top three finalists in the final tally.

In all, 10 players received votes for the award, including Indiana Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin. He garnered two third-place votes for a total of two points to finish eighth in the final voting results released on the “NBA on TNT” on Thursday.

Mathurin averaged 16.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 43.4% shooting from the field in 78 games. He finished second in bench scoring among all players this season and became the first rookie to score 1,000 points off the bench in 18 years.

Despite a strong rookie campaign, voters opted for experience on their ballots over Mathurin. Considering Ben Gordon (2005) is the only rookie to win Sixth Man of the Year, Mathurin faced long odds to take home the award this season.

However, the sixth pick certainly put up a strong year and should be a lock to make the All-Rookie first team. He has established himself as a key player and looks to be a cornerstone for the Pacers.

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