Sixth Man of The Year: Lou Williams
If there were any obvious selection on this list, it’d definitely be this one. Williams has always been seen as a sixth man and even retained that role last year, but was finally given the keys to the offense of a team and had a near All-Star level season.
Williams received starter’s minutes and played when it mattered most but still came off the bench so he was eligible for the award. It’ll likely be the same story this year. If he continues his dominant play as the team’s first scoring option, he’ll likely be able to win the award again.
Williams erupted for an elite 22.6 points, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season on 43.5 percent shooting from the field and 35.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He played 32.8 minutes per game, so he was essentially a starter, but the point still remains: As long as he comes off the bench for more games than he starts, that’s the only requirement needed to qualify.
Unlike all of the other candidates on this list, Williams is projected to be the frontrunner of his respective award. Eric Gordon, Isaiah Thomas and potentially Fred Van Vleet seem to be his only competition, but no one really compares to Williams’ impact. He needs very little space to get a shot off and he’s proven he can perform in clutch situations on multiple occasions.
Considering that he’ll still be the first option scorer on a very similar team to last season, but now with a primary playmaker, expect Williams to be just as good as he was last season — assuming he can stay healthy, of course.