Dallas Mavericks: Jalen Brunson making a case for Sixth Man of the Year

The Dallas Mavericks keep climbing the standings. They dealt with injuries and COVID issues early this season, but the team has turned it on after getting healthy. Luka Doncic has been outstanding and is working his way back into the MVP race, but he may not be the only Maverick garnering award consideration.

Jalen Brunson is having a breakout third season. He has averaged 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on 53.3 percent shooting from the field. The 24-year-old can score at all three levels and continues to earn more minutes with his stellar play.

Brunson is making a hard charge into the Sixth Man of the Year conversation. Here is a look at his recent play, and a look at where he landed in The Athletic’s Zach Harper’s award rankings (subscription required).

Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson is making a case for Sixth Man of the Year

Brunson started playing more minutes on Feb. 10. He has worked his way into the Mavericks closing lineup with his stellar play. The 6’1 guard has averaged 14.2 points, on 54.5 percent shooting from the field and 39.8 percent on his 3-point attempts over his last 26 games. If JB can play that way over the final 21 games, he will find his way onto plenty of Sixth Man of the Year ballots.

Zach Harper ran through all of his award rankings on April 8. He bumped Brunson up to second in the Sixth Man race behind only Jordan Clarkson. Utah’s sixth man is the heavy favorite to win the award, but Brunson has a shot to close the gap down the stretch.

Expect Jalen Brunson to keep up his stellar play. The third-year guard has taken a massive leap this season. Keep an eye on Jordan Clarkson and the Sixth Man of the Year race down the stretch. The Dallas Mavericks need to keep winning if they want to take home some awards. Stay tuned.