Jordan Clarkson Now Odds-on Favorite to Win 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year – Can Anyone Catch Him?
- Jordan Clarkson has moved to odds-on favorite to win NBA Sixth Man of the Year
- Chris Boucher, Shake Milton and Goran Dragic are also in contention
- Is Clarkson a lock for Sixth Man of the Year already? See updated odds below
After the Clippers dominated NBA Sixth Man of the Year for the last couple of seasons, the award is set to go elsewhere in 2021. Utah Jazz bench scorer Jordan Clarkson is the early odds-on favorite. Even just 20 games or so into the season, Clarkson has built a substantial lead in Sixth Man of the Year odds.
No Utah Jazz player has won the award in its history. Clippers players have won it in five of the last seven years, and Montrezl Harrell’s win in 2019-20 made him the first front court player to win Sixth Man since Lamar Odom in 2010-11.
2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jordan Clarkson | -150 |
| Chris Boucher | +700 |
| Goran Dragic | +1200 |
| Shake Milton | +1500 |
| Terrence Ross | +1600 |
| Eric Gordon | +2400 |
| Montrezl Harrell | +2400 |
| Patty Mills | +3300 |
Odds taken on Feb 4th from FanDuel
Clarkson’s Career-Year
Eyebrows were raised when the Jazz handed Clarkson a big contract. He has proved all the doubters wrong thus far, averaging career-highs in points per game and true scoring percentage. He’s in the 68th percentile in effective field goal percentage among wings, which is a marked improvement on his Cleveland performances two seasons ago, and is beginning to show his output in Utah was more than a hot streak.
Clarkson has been deemed a bit of an empty numbers guy in the past. Those concerns are no longer. His shot selection has improved, with fewer long twos and more threes. Clarkson has found a role in the offense, and tweaks to Quin Snyder’s rotations have benefited him, taking playmaking pressure away, and allowing him to play as a scorer.
His 17 points per game is not only a career-high, it’s also good for 20th in the NBA in scoring per 36. Clarkson is playing productive, efficient basketball on the team with the best record in the NBA. Putting up big numbers efficiently, on a team with a great record, is a good formula to win Sixth Man of the Year.
Shake N' Fake. Jordan Clarkson just dropped 31 on the Mavs.
(via @utahjazz) pic.twitter.com/AJ9egDXDtG
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) January 28, 2021
Clarkson, too, has shown he’s more than a scorer against second units. Snyder has utilized the former Laker in crunch time on occasion – all good sixth men need to be able to close games when required.
Clarkson Heavily Favored
It’s a bit of a surprise to see Clarkson so far ahead in the betting this early in the season. A lot can change over a few weeks in the NBA. The strength of Clarkson’s case to win the award at this stage is largely based on the lack of strong competition.
Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell have much smaller roles than previous seasons. Dennis Schroder is a starter on the Lakers. A lot of contenders are desperately short on depth – they don’t have the caliber of player coming off the bench to warrant Sixth Man consideration.
Historically, Sixth Man of the Year has gone to a player on a good team. That’s partly because good teams have better benches, but it also shows that productive players on struggling teams are at a disadvantage.
Other Contenders
Chris Boucher has been great, but there’s a risk he ends up starting games for the Raps and loses his eligibility for this award. He’s also at the natural disadvantage of being a big man, and he’s much less likely to put up big numbers.
Goran Dragic is yet to look anywhere near the player from the Orlando bubble. He and the Heat have a long way to go before the Slovenian is getting anywhere near Clarkson.
The value in this market is at longer odds. Shake Milton will attract some interest given his status as Philly’s third-highest scorer even without shooting the ball well so far. Eric Gordon could be the pick of the bunch, however.
Gordon is rivalling Clarkson’s scoring. Houston (until their shocking loss to the Thunder on Wednesday) have played great basketball since the James Harden trade, and Gordon has been superb on both ends. He’s scored 20 or more on 10 occasions this season, and he’s going to close plenty of games for Stephen Silas even when John Wall and Victor Oladipo are available.
He had a rough season last time round. Gordon has bounced back big time in 2020-21, though, with his true scoring leaping from 51% to 61.3%. If he keeps this up, and the Rockets earn a decent seed, he’ll be right in the mix for the award.
Sam Cox is a freelance writer and sports junkie, who has spent the past several years immersed in the online gaming industry. He has worked with 888sport, Oddschecker, and Colossus Bets to name a few. Based in the UK, Sam also runs Franchise Sports with his brother.
