Clippers: Lou Williams’ Teammate Stopped Him From Making NBA History This Season
The NBA’s year-end awards are always exciting. It gives fans one last chance to reflect on the season. Prizes like the Sixth Man of the Year Award recognize talented players who don’t always get the credit they deserve. This year, many fans hoped the Sixth Man of the Year Award would go to Lou Williams. They were surprised when a Clippers teammate beat him.
Lou Williams’ NBA career
It was apparent to everyone who knew Williams as a child in Tennessee, that he was destined for greatness. He was such a skilled high school player that he skipped playing in college and went directly to the NBA. He started his career in Philly, where he was a solid player for six full seasons.
Many expected Williams to become one of the 76ers’ stars but it quickly became apparent that Williams’ wasn’t quite ready for the NBA. The coaches chose to send him to the NBA Development League. When he returned to Philly, Williams was a solid, reliable player. At the end of his time in Philly, Williams was the runner up for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Williams left Philly for Atlanta. Sadly, his time was hampered by injury, Partway through his first season in Atlanta, he tore his ACL. Unwilling to take a chance on his knee not fully recovering, Atlanta traded Williams to the Toronto Raptors. Although he only played in Toronto for one season, his performance netted him his first NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Williams finally made his way to the Clippers in 2017 and has settled in nicely with the team. In April 2019, he became a team hero and landed in NBA history when he played a pivotal role in reversing a 31-point deficit. It’s still the biggest point reversal in NBA history.
How Williams’ teammate stalled his attempt to make NBA history
Each season, only one NBA player can be named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. The award is so prestigious not even the great Michael Jordan earned it. Not only has Williams won it, but he has also been awarded the honor for three different seasons. He brought home the award for the 2014-15, 2017-18, and 2018-19 seasons.
Going into the 2019-20 season, many fans expected Williams’ to bring home the award for a fourth time, something that has never been done in NBA history, but he didn’t. Instead, the honor went to his teammate, Montrezl Harrell, details ESPN.
The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award
The NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award is designed to recognize the guys who don’t get the glory. These guys are sent into as a substitute for another player, in other words, the sixth man on the court. Unlike some of the other annual NBA awards, the player isn’t chosen by the points they put up, but rather their steadiness and workhorse-like attitude.
Picking the year’s best substitute isn’t easy. The NBA has left the decision to the broadcasters and sportscasters who cover the NBA. The voters nominate their first, second, and third-place pick for the season’s best Sixth Man of the Year.
At this point, Williams and Jamal Crawford are the only two players in NBA history to have won the award three times. No player has won it a fourth time. Williams stated that he’d hoped Harrell would win the award this season and seems quite happy with his second-place finish, details Heavy.
