Kamari McGee would start on most college basketball teams; he is one of the country's best players and is a spark off the bench for head coach Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers. McGee has only started once this season in place of injured guard Max Klesmit and will slide back to the sixth-man spot as soon as Klesmit returns. He should be a frontrunner for the Sixth Man of the Year award, and here is why:
Kamari Mcgee absolutely should be the front runner for 6th man of the year right now
— Badger Enthusiast (@Badger_szn) January 11, 2025
McGee has Sixth Man of the Year type stats so far this season.
McGee is having a great year and his stats are showing him to be one of the most important players on the Badgers team and in the Big 10 conference. His statistics are backing up that he has a sixth-man award-winning year. If we simply look at all the sixth-man award winners from the major conferences from last season, we will see a similarity to McGee.
2024 Winners | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaxson Robinson (Big 12) | 14.2 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 |
Koren Johnson (Pac 12) | 11.1 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 1.2 |
Mason Gillis (Big 10) | 6.5 | 3.9 | 1.7 | 0.2 |
Rob Dillingham (SEC) | 15.2 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 1.0 |
Kamari McGee | 7.1 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
You'll notice quickly that Kamari is right there in all categories and maybe slightly lower in points than everyone but Gillis. However, the reality of the Sixth Man of the Year award is it's weighed on a lot more than just points. It's also value to the team. And that's what leads us into the next category.
McGee is listed in almost all the best lineups for Wisconsin.
CBB Analytics came out with a spreadsheet of the best lineups in Big 10 basketball based on optimal performance when they are on the court together at the same time. It is the best case for McGee so far, as he is featured on the list three times. He's the only non-starter even close to that number. You can see the list below:
The top "3-man lineup combos" by Net Rating in the Big Ten (min. 75 MP): pic.twitter.com/MAfShR9uEL
— CBB Analytics (@CBBAnalytics) January 10, 2025
McGee knows how to play his role.
Finally, and this is why the points shouldn't matter all that much (though by the end of the season, you could expect it to be close or slightly over 10.0). The sixth man is to know their role. For McGee, he isn't worried about if he's the star or the guy to get the basket. He understands his role. He can be the guy that takes over a game, or he can be the guy that sets up his teammates. McGee made this comment the other day at a post-game press conference: "We are a pretty deep team, so you never know who can go off and just having those six or seven guys sharing the ball and scoring the ball. The other team can't just zone in on one guy."
McGee should be getting looks for the Sixth Man of the Year award, especially if he keeps this up all season long.