The race for 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors was getting interesting once Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (+800) made a surge up the odds leaderboard, but Payton Pritchard (-1100) of the Boston Celtics is starting to erase all doubt as to who the rightful winner should be with just weeks remaining in the regular season.
Here's a look at where all viable contenders sit in the race to win the John Havlicek trophy.
2025 NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Payton Pritchard | Boston Celtics | -1100 |
| Malik Beasley | Detroit Pistons | +800 |
| Russell Westbrook | Denver Nuggets | +2200 |
| De'Andre Hunter | Cleveland Cavaliers | +5000 |
| Ty Jerome | Cleveland Cavaliers | +12000 |
Odds as of March 31, 2025 at FanDuel
NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Betting Favorite: Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics (-1100)
Pritchard remains in the driver's seat for a reason, averaging career highs across the board in points (14.2), rebounds (3.8), assists (3.4), steals (0.9), and 3-point efficiency (41.3) for the reigning champion Celtics who sit 26th overall in bench scoring at 29.8 points per game. That means Pritchard accounts for nearly half of the offense being produced for the second unit of a team possessing the third-best win-loss record in basketball.
The recipient of the award doesn't have to necessarily average the most points, as we've seen in recent years with winners like Naz Reid (13.5 points in 2023-24) and Malcolm Brogdon (14.9 in 2022-23). It's all about making an impact, and without Pritchard producing to the degree he is, even with Boston's superstar-loaded starting lineup, the team as a whole would be suffering.
NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Contender: Malik Beasley, Detroit Pistons (+800)
If voters are simply looking to pick the player who scores the most points coming off the pine, then Beasley has more of a claim to the trophy than Pritchard does. Of players who've made at least 41 appearances from the bench in 2024-25, Beasley ranks second in scoring at 15.4 points. His 292 made 3-pointers are already a franchise record for a single season, which also makes him the fourth player in history to knock down 200 or more triples four years in a row.
Unfortunately, Pritchard's presence on the Celtics is seen as having greater value to that of what Beasley provides for the Pistons, and that could be the determining factor here. Detroit's success as a team in general is one of the understated talking points across the league, and Beasley has been a major contributor to its quick turnaround. It's just not his year to be Sixth Man of the Year over Pritchard, though.
Past 10 NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Winners
| Year | Winner | Team | Opening Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Naz Reid | Minnesota Timberwolves | +5000 |
| 2023 | Malcolm Brogdon | Boston Celtics | +1100 |
| 2022 | Tyler Herro | Miami Heat | +1100 |
| 2021 | Jordan Clarkson | Utah Jazz | +700 |
| 2020 | Montrezl Harrell | Los Angeles Clippers | +1100 |
| 2019 | Lou Williams | Los Angeles Clippers | +300 |
| 2018 | Lou Williams | Los Angeles Clippers | +8000 |
| 2017 | Eric Gordon | Houston Rockets | N/A |
| 2016 | Jamal Crawford | Los Angeles Clippers | N/A |
| 2015 | Lou Williams | Toronto Raptors | N/A |
The Los Angeles Clippers emerged with four Sixth Man of the Year winners in a five-year span from 2016 through 2020 during this stretch. They've also had players finish in the top-five in voting each of the last three years with Norman Powell and Luke Kennard, as well.
Who Has Won The Most NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Awards?
| Awards | Player | Teams | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Lou Williams | Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers (2) | 2015, 2018, 2019 |
| 3 | Jamal Crawford | Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers (2) | 2010, 2014, 2016 |
| 2 | Kevin McHale | Boston Celtics | 1984, 1985 |
| 2 | Ricky Pierce | Milwaukee Bucks | 1987, 1990 |
| 2 | Detlef Schrempf | Indiana Pacers | 1991, 1992 |
Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford are widely considered to be two of, if not the two greatest scorers and players off the bench the league has ever seen, and their three Sixth Man of the Year wins apiece justifies such a distinction.
NBA Teams With Most Sixth Man Of The Year Winners
| Awards | Team | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Los Angeles Clippers | 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
| 4 | Phoenix Suns | 1989, 1998, 2000, 2007 |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 1984, 1985, 1986, 2023 |
| 3 | Dallas Mavericks | 1988, 2004, 2009 |
| 3 | New York Knicks | 1995, 1997, 2013 |
| 2 | Indiana Pacers | 1991, 1992 |
| 2 | Philadelphia 76ers | 1983, 2001 |
| 2 | Milwaukee Bucks | 1987, 1990 |
| 2 | Chicago Bulls | 1996, 2005 |
It's crazy to think that the Clippers didn't have a single Sixth Man of the Year winner a decade ago, but now hold the record for the most in league history.
NBA Teams With Zero Sixth Man Of The Year Winners
The following teams have never had an NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner: Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Golden State Warriors.
How To Read NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Odds
When you visit your NBA betting site of choice, you’ll notice 2024-25 NBA Sixth Man of the Year odds laid out like this:
- Payton Pritchard +275
- Buddy Hield +500
It's like a moneyline bet where favorites are shown by the minus sign (-) and underdogs have a plus sign (+). In this scenario, Payton Pritchard is favored despite being at plus money. If you were to bet $100 on Pritchard in the NBA Sixth Man of the Year betting odds and it hits, you would win $375– your $100 is returned and you would get $275 in profit.
If you were to bet on which player will be named Sixth Man of the Year, you would make a futures bet.
What Is A Futures Bet?
This is a bet made on events that will happen in time. In this case, it’s Sixth Man of the Year. To make a futures bet, you would first use the handicapping info on this page to make your decision. Our Odds Calculator can give you an idea of how much you’d win based on the Sixth Man of the Year odds and the amount of money you bet.
