Lou Williams provides silver lining in loss to Jazz
Lou Williams is showing that it’s really not about winning this season for the Lakers.
When looking at the fact that Los Angeles already has ten wins, it’s easy to overlook the fundamentals.
D’Angelo Russell is continuing to develop into the kind of player they drafted him to be. That, mixed with the explosion of Jordan Clarkson off the bench, has been nice, but it’s not everything.
In their most recent loss against the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles struggled to find a flow for three quarters. Then, in the final frame, things starting going their way, and a lot of that came on the shoulders of their most important veteran.
Lou Williams has excelled a dependable sixth man throughout his career. In both Toronto and Los Angeles, Williams has provided consistency when his team needed it most.
The eleven year vet has dropped double digits in eleven straight games, with 38 points being his production against Utah. Before the home game versus the Jazz, Williams tore apart the Grizzlies in Memphis for 40.
While not a scoring champion by any means, it’s hard to argue against how important bench play has become in the league.
HIGHLIGHTS: Lou Williams filled up the stat sheet again tonight with 38 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds pic.twitter.com/7Uqlm3EiiO
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 6, 2016
Los Angeles saw their bench more than double Utah’s scoring output; and even in a loss that’s impressive. It came in 67-32 fashion, with Williams’ 38 leading his team in scoring while out-performing the entire Jazz bench put together.
This season, he’s also averaging over 18 points per game — the highest scoring average over the course of his career.
Outside of Williams’ efforts, it’s also refreshing to see a sense of identity return to the team. Julius Randle is grabbing boards like nobody’s business, and the young core is truly depending on each other.
That speaks volumes moving forward, but Williams can’t afford to stop now.
His team needs him at his best until their stars come back from injury.
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