Key Maverick Rising In Sixth Man of the Year Odds

Dallas hasn't had anyone win Sixth Man of the Year since Jason Terry

Oct 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) dunks the ball against the Utah Jazz during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks have been a little underwhelming to start the season, sitting at 4-3 through seven games. They've gotten off to slow starts in almost every game, which has forced them to play from behind more often than they'd like. Once they sub in Dereck Lively II, though, their fortunes usually start to change.

Lively was thought to be the Mavericks' starting center before the season, but Jason Kidd has opted for Daniel Gafford early on. If Lively continues to come off the bench when he's healthy, he'll quickly rise in the odds for Sixth Man of the Year. He currently has the seventh-highest odds (+2000) to take home the award on FanDuel behind Boston's Payton Pritchard (+400), Golden State's Buddy Hield (+700), Sacramento's Malik Monk (+800), Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin (+900), Minnesota's Naz Reid (+1000), and Charlotte's Tre Mann (+1300).

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Dallas hasn't had a Maverick take home Sixth Man of the Year since Jason Terry won it in 2009, but Lively winning it would buck a few trends. The award is usually given to the best bench shot-creator, like Lou Williams or Jamal Crawford. In the last 20 years, Naz Reid and Montrezl Harrell have been the only centers to win the award, but they're better scorers than defenders. The last defensive ace to take home the award was Bill Walton in 1986, someone Lively could strive to play like defensively.

Lively isn't the only Maverick listed, as Jaden Hardy appears way down FanDuel's list at +9500. If Lively is promoted to the starting lineup sooner rather than later (as he should be), Hardy or Naji Marshall may be their best chance to take home the award.

Dereck Lively missed the game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night and was supposed to have an MRI done on Tuesday for a shoulder sprain, but the Mavericks don't seem too concerned about his long-term health.

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways From Mavericks Disappointing Loss to Pacers

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