The sixth man in the NBA is a special art. Not every player in the league can come off the bench, get close to starter minutes and be the third or sometimes even second-most impactful player in the game. A great sixth man may get overlooked at times during the regular season, but in the postseason, their importance shines through.
Just think of Andre Iguodala for the Golden State Warriors. Iguodala hardly started in the regular season but once the postseason came around he was one of the most important players on the team. He did not have the flashiest stat line, but his veteran presence and great defending were crucial to the Warriors, who had four all-stars on top of Iguodala.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had some great sixth men throughout franchise history as well, which is no surprise for a franchise as successful as the Lakers. Not every title-winning team had a clear-cut sixth man, though, so the list is not as extensive as some may think.
For example, the Kobe-Shaq Lakers had both Derek Fisher and Robert Horry coming off the bench with similar minutes, it is hard to distinguish either as a clear-cut sixth man.
With that being said, here are the three greatest sixth men in Los Angeles Lakers history.
Los Angeles Lakers’ greatest sixth men: 3. Lou Williams (2015-2017)
It might seem a bit odd to include Lou Williams on this list as he played for the Los Angeles Lakers during the worst stretch in franchise history. He was not an important part of any successful team and thus, his role may not seem as important.
However, just because he lasted only a season and a half in LA on a bad team does not mean he was not great off of the bench. Williams has the highest scoring average (18.6) for a season in franchise history for a player who started 25 or fewer games.
If the Lakers were a better team then he undoubtedly would have won the Sixth Man of the Year in the 2015-2016 season. He was exceptional in his role, still is as the sixth man on the Los Angeles Clippers, and should be honored because of it.
However, he is pretty far behind the top-two.