Los Angeles Lakers: Point Guard Outlook

Lou Williams Brings Signs of Change to the Los Angeles Lakers

The biggest get in free agency for the Los Angeles Lakers was reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams. He signed a three-year, $21-million contract, and should immediately slot into his familiar role as a top bench scorer.

As a 6’1’’ combo guard, Williams’ best attribute is certainly his ability to light up the scoreboard in a hurry. He averaged 15.5 points with the Toronto Raptors last year (a career high), and made nearly two three-pointers per contest.

Though he is being previewed with the point guards, Williams’ role will not be to distribute the ball. His career average of 2.9 assists per game would support that theory. Instead, he will likely slot in as the guy to step in when one of the primary options – Kobe Bryant –takes a rest.

Williams could be a key component in the offense when Kobe sits out games, but will mostly serve as a spark off the bench.

The Lou Williams signing signals change in a variety of ways. The most obvious is that it could mean that Nick Young’s days with the club are numbered, or at the very least, that he will see a diminished role.

In application, Williams and Young are very similar players. Both are best suited as sixth man scorers, both have similarly high usage rates (Williams’ was 25.2 to Young’s 23.9), and neither brings much else outside of the scoring niche.

It’s entirely possible that the Lakers are comfortable using both trigger happy players off of their bench, though it’s worth wondering how successful that approach can be.

Another interesting, although highly speculative, angle on the Williams acquisition, is that it’s eerily similar to the Phoenix Suns’ deal with Isaiah Thomas a summer prior. Though Thomas is the better player over Williams, both were signed to reasonable deals for their production.

As you may know, Thomas was dealt for assets once the Suns’ season began to implode, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the Lakers did the same.

Again, this angle is highly speculative, but it’s worth one keeping an eye on. The Lakers got solid contributors at bargain prices this offseason and potentially getting on the “hoard the assets” bandwagon would be an adjustment in the philosophy of the front office.

Though dealing a new acquisition is admittedly far-fetched, what isn’t is what to expect for Williams in 2015-16. He should slot in as the primary scorer off of the bench, and has a shot to lead this team in scoring if Kobe Bryant battles injuries once again.

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