Is Lou Williams a Difference Maker?

The Los Angeles Lakers signed free agent combo guard Lou Williams, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, to a three-year, $21 million contract on July 5, 2015.

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The organization has not offered many multi-year deals in recent years, preferring to instead maintain maximum financial flexibility in case a top-flight free agent decides to join the team (which thus far has not happened).

There has to be a belief within the front office Williams will make an important contribution to a roster in desperate need of a boost.

Williams has been a solid NBA performer for several years but has flown under-the-radar which, until recently, left him largely unknown to most Lakers fans. That anonymity will not continue. The Lakers draw intense media scrutiny whether they are good or bad, and Williams figures to be right in the middle of the fray this next season. He’s entering his 11th NBA season but still relatively young at 28. He turns 29 in late October.

Williams had an outstanding high school career in Georgia where he was a four-time All-State Selection. He was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All American his senior year. In 2005, Williams was the seventh best prep player in the nation, according to Rivals.com. He finished as the second all-time leading scorer in Georgia High School basketball history upon graduation.

Jan 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Lou Williams (23) is fouled as he shoots against New Orleans Pelicans guard Nate Wolters (4) at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Williams initially agreed to play for the University of Georgia but declared for the 2005 NBA Draft instead. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Williams No. 45 after he had reportedly dropped in the draft for performing poorly in pre-draft workouts.

Williams played seven seasons in Philadelphia before signing with the Atlanta Hawks in 2012. After two seasons, Williams was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a draft-night transaction.

Arguably, his best NBA season came last year where he averaged a career-high 15.5 points in 25.2 minutes off the bench. Williams scored 20 plus points in 20 of the 80 games in which he played and exceeded 30 points twice. Williams was awarded the 2015 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award for his efforts.

Williams was set to return to Toronto, but the Raptors made no attempt to re-sign him despite his career year. They didn’t even make him an offer which came as a surprise, because he had expressed his desire to return.

Nonetheless, Williams will be given a major opportunity with the Lakers. It is expected he will be the first player off the bench and may start from time to time depending on how things pan out with the younger guys.

Williams is listed at 6’ 1” but is a true shooting guard which leaves him undersized when compared to the prototypical two guard. His size often limits his ability on the defensive end. He’s also not known for his passing or rebounding with career averages of 2.9 assists and 2 rebounds. However, Williams is a natural scorer especially from outside.

Feb 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) reacts to a 3 point basket in the second half of the game against the Boston Celtics at Staples Center. Lakers won 118-111 in OT. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

During Mike D’Antoni‘s final season as the Lakers head coach, the team shot well from downtown. The team ranked second in the league in three-pointers made and third in three-point percentage. Fans often forget the team was actually formidable on offense before they were decimated by all of the injuries. That said, their defense was atrocious.

However, most of the players who were responsible for that offensive production departed and were replaced by guys with limited range. Nick Young, the lone hold-over, decided to take last season off shooting that is.

As a result, the Lakers were awful from three-point range last year. They made the sixth fewest three-point shots and were below the league-average of 34 percent.

In contrast, the teams that made solid playoff runs, including the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Hawks, and Los Angeles Clippers, were all in the top five in terms of three-point shooting. The Lakers will, at least, have to be in the middle of the pack this year if they hope to improve their record.

Despite his accolades, Williams only made 40 percent of his shots and shot 34 percent from three which is pretty average. Ironically, his three-point percentage was the same as the entire Lakers team who finished near the bottom of the league.

It appears Williams is streaky from distance which is exactly what the Lakers already have in “Swaggy P.” The organization expected to trade Young following the Williams acquisition but fell through when no takers arose, according to reports.

Feb 2, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Lou Williams (23) shoots the ball as Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis antetokounmpo (34) defends in the fourth quarter at Air Canada Centre. The Bucks won 82-75 Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

General Manger Mitch Kupchak assured Young that the Williams signing was not a slap in his face, and they both have a future with the team. It will be interesting to see how this plays out with the two being mirror images of one another.

One of the more intriguing questions entering training camp will be whether these two high-volume, low-percentage scorers can coexist on the floor. If they can, the Lakers might find some potency in their offense. If Young’s struggles from last season carry over or falls out of favor with head coach Byron Scott, Williams will have to carry the load by himself, at least when it comes to perimeter shooting.

Williams has traveled a great distance in his 10 NBA seasons. Since leaving high school, Williams has gone from the East Coast (Philadelphia), down South (Atlanta), north of the border (Toronto), and now the West Coast with the Lakers.

He’s a veteran on a roster filled with inexperience. Williams will be asked to play a dual role as a mentor and an important member of the rotation. How he meets this challenge has yet to be determined and one of the keys to the Lakers upcoming season.

Next: Lakers Head Coaches Rode Kobe Bryant into the Ground

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