Season stats: 19.1 PPG, 6.2 APG, 3.0 RPG in 30.2 MPG; .415/.360/.841
Last 3 weeks: 14.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, 2.0 RPG in 26.9 MPG; .394/.347/.829
Lou Williams has been very good as an offensive spark off the bench for the LA Clippers over the last three weeks, but as one of two three-time Sixth Man of the Year winners, the 11 games he has played since Dec. 1 have not been up to Williams’ usual standards.
He averaged 14.4 points per game over that stretch, scoring in single digits four times and missing two games with a sore right calf. While he still leads the NBA in bench scoring at 19.1 points per game, Williams averaged 21.7 points per game over his first 20 games of the season.
His shooting has tailed off significantly over the last three weeks, as he’s made less than 40 percent (39.4 percent) and is at 34.7 percent on 4.5 3-point attempts per game. Williams has made four starts this season, including one in December, when he scored 22 points, but needed 20 shots to do it in the Clippers’ loss at Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Consistency has been an issue this month for Williams, who opened the season with double-digit scoring in 19 consecutive games, but has been held under that five times in his last 11 games.
In five games since returning from the sore calf, Williams has scored at least 20 points three times and been held to six points in two other appearances. With what the following two contenders are doing, Williams is going to have to step up his play if he’s going to win for a third consecutive season.