NBA Sixth Man of the Year Odds for 2026-27 Season: Ajay Mitchell, Payton Pritchard, Dylan Harper All Inside 10/1

The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award is usually one of the more competitive markets, as there are a ton of great reserves in the league and some young players that are looking to make the next step in their careers.

So who will be the best bench player in the NBA?

The Sixth Man of the Year award is designed to find that player, though sometimes it favors a scorer more than an impactful player that plays their role at a high level. Last season, Keldon Johnson edged out Jaime Jaquez Jr. in this market.

In recent history, the Sixth Man of the Year award has gone to a player that is on a playoff team, and it’s typically one of the leading scorers in terms of bench points.

Payton Pritchard was on the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics in the 2024-25 season while Johnson was a key piece of a San Antonio team that made the NBA Finals. Naz Reid, Malcolm Brogdon, Tyler Herro, Jordan Clarkson, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams all played for playoff teams in their recent Sixth Man of the Year seasons.

In fact, the last time the Sixth Man of the Year came from a non-playoff team was when Williams won the award in the 2017-18 campaign.

This season, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell is the favorite in this market, slightly ahead of Boston’s Pritchard. Dylan Harper was a super-sub for the Spurs as a rookie, and he’s third in the odds in this market if he ends up playing the same role.

The rest of the odds are around players in their first full season with a new team: Ayo Dosunmu, DeMar DeRozan, Anfernee Simons, Isaiah Joe and Collin Sexton are all in the top-10 in this market.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

No other player has shorter than +6000 odds to win Sixth Man of the Year.

There are a ton of players to consider in this market, and Mitchell is a top-tier target as the favorite if he stays healthy. Injuries derailed Mitchell’s campaign for this award in the 2025-26 season, and he also could end up starting for OKC at some point this season, which adds another wrinkle to his odds.

Harper may not come off the bench for the whole season – or any of it – for San Antonio, so he’s a rather volatile bet at +800.

I’ve actually settled on one guy as my favorite play in this market rather easily, though things could certainly change if a player on a new team like DeRozan, Sexton, Simons, etc. ends up having a big year.

I’m all in on Pritchard to win this award for the second time, and I was able to grab him at +1000 earlier this fall.

Pritchard won the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2024-25 season, but he started too many games last season to be eligible for this award. Now, the former first-round pick appears to be destined for a major bench role with the Celtics acquiring Paul George, but he’s much more than your typical Sixth Man.

He has played over 28 minutes per game in back-to-back seasons, and Pritchard will likely close games for Boston. Joe Mazzulla just clearly likes the flexibility of bringing Pritchard off the bench to run the second unit when Jayson Tatum is off the floor. Last year, Pritchard averaged a career-high 17.0 points per game, and he could have another level if he sees more opportunities in the 2026-27 season.

The replacing of Jaylen Brown with Tatum should boost the entire Boston offense with the playmaking ability of the former Duke star. This market is very volatile depending upon lineups, but Pritchard has proven he’s one of the best bench scorers in the NBA.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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