Malcolm Brogdon has received his Sixth Man of the Year trophy from Jamal Crawford in a surprise ceremony on TNT.

During an interview on NBA Tip-Off, Ernie Johnson began to query Brogdon, in a not-so-subtle manner, whether he had yet seen the trophy he was to be awarded, known as the John Havlichek trophy. Crawford – a three-time winner of the award – proceeded to appear at the back of the set, trophy in hand, and officially awarded it to Brogdon.

The Celtics guard won the award following his first season in Boston, a season in which he’s played a vastly different role to in season’s past. The 2017 Rookie of the Year was an integral part of the Indiana Pacers starting lineup in years past, but with the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Derrick White also fighting for guard spots on the Celtics, Brogdon has taken on a reduced role off the bench.

Over the course of the regular season, however, he still averaged 26 minutes per game, scoring 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting a huge 44.4% from three-point range in that time. He was stuck in a two-way battle for the award with Immanuel Quickley, with Bobby Portis a little way behind them.

Malcolm Brogdon officially received the John Havlichek trophy two games into the Celtics’ first round playoff series with the Hawks which they currently lead 2-0 following two strong victories. After a quiet first game, Brogdon had an impressive Game 2, putting up 13 points, seven boards and eight assists in 28 minutes. However far into the playoffs the Celtics end up going, the 2022-23 Sixth Man of the Year will no doubt play a significant role.