Lakers: Midseason Grades for Each Player

Lou Williams won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award just last season, but there wasn’t much of a market for him in free agency. For better or worse, that led to the Lakers signing him to a manageable three-year deal. However, the fact that the signing came at a good price and the fact that Williams is a quality NBA player doesn’t make his presence on the roster any more troublesome.

Despite his recent run where he was scoring phenomenally and carrying the Lakers to being competitive, Williams stands in the way of so many things that needs to be happening with this team. With the help of Kobe Bryant, Lou has hindered the offense at times. That’s not because of his production, but largely because he too has often been a ball-stopper in the offense that has hindered the ball-movement that the younger players on the roster need to be getting accustomed to.

Moreover, it’s the young players that again come into play when assessing Williams to this point. It’s hard to swallow the fact that Lou is the player chosen by Byron Scott to replace D’Angelo Russell in the starting lineup when that decision was made.

Because of his production, Williams deserves far better than a failing grade. However, it’s hard to say that he’s been anything more than slightly above average for the Lakers this season because of his inefficiency and the effects that he’s had on the team as a whole in their overall plight to move forward to the next era of the franchise.

Next: Metta World Peace