NBA Sixth Man of the Year odds: Can Herro repeat off the bench for Heat?

Betting on who'll win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award is always a bit of a silly exercise: which players are so good that they can beat out the competition in a loaded field ... but not start on their own teams?

It's a narrow group that usually caters to dynamite bench scorers. That's what we saw last year with Heat super-sub Tyler Herro, who averaged 20.7 points - most by anyone in a reserve role - to run away with the award. He's once again the favorite to win this season's honor, but he'll face stiff competition in one of the more compelling fields in recent memory.

Here are the odds to win the 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, along with three of our favorite early value plays:

Jordan Poole, Warriors (+500)

Poole was one of my favorite preseason buys a year ago in this market. He would've been a strong contender for the award, but he started 51 of 76 games to knock himself out of contention. With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins all healthy in the Warriors' backcourt this season, that won't be a problem.

Don't sleep on Poole's upside, though, even off the bench. The former first-round pick broke out in 2021-22 with 18.5 points per game - third best on the team - while leading the entire league in free-throw percentage (92.5%). He became more efficient in all three levels on the court and even upped his assist rate (21%) in his third NBA season.

We saw just how lethal Poole can be in the postseason when he's given the reins to the offense, which is exactly what he'll enjoy as the primary scorer off the bench for these run-and-gun Warriors. If Poole can flirt with 20 points per game in 2022-23, it'll be tough to deny him this award.

Malcolm Brogdon, Celtics (+1200)

In an offseason dominated by Kevin Durant speculation, the defending East champion Celtics quietly committed the biggest larceny of the summer, dealing five bench players and a first-round pick to the rebuilding Pacers for Brogdon.

Not only is Brogdon worth much more on the surface, but he's also a perfect fit for this Boston offense that desperately needed another playmaking guard down the stretch last season. Plus, the two-way guard is a seamless fit within this Celtics defense, which led the NBA in defensive rating a year ago.

Make no mistake about it, though: Brogdon can score. The former Rookie of the Year averaged 19.1 points last season and 21.2 points the campaign prior. He may not hit that mark in a reserve role in Boston, but if he can average 15-18 with elite defense to boot, he'll be in the mix by season's end.

Collin Sexton, Cavaliers (+2000)

It's easy to forget about Sexton, who was surprisingly relegated to a bench role for the Cavaliers last year before tearing his meniscus 11 games into the season. He's already made a full recovery from the November surgery, and he's quietly available as one of the best free agents on the market.

Assuming he returns to Cleveland - either on a long-term deal or playing out the qualifying offer - this will be the most important season of Sexton's NBA tenure after an electric start to his career. In 2021-22, the former top-10 pick averaged 24.3 points on 57.3% true shooting as a 22-year-old, something only a handful of players have ever done in NBA history.

He may not be the same player right away, if ever, but there's legitimate upside here if Sexton lands in the right role - either with the Cavaliers or elsewhere. In a market that rewards high scoring totals above all else, Sexton deserves a look at this price.

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].