LA Clippers: Can Montrezl Harrell dethrone Williams for Sixth Man honors?

LA Clippers guard Lou Williams has the potential to win his fourth Sixth Man of the Year award this season, but teammate Montrezl Harrell is making a run for it.

Lou Williams has won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award on three separate occasions, twice as a member of the LA Clippers. The guard is currently tied for the most all-time with Jamal Crawford and could take home his fourth this season.

Williams has had another fantastic season off the bench for the Clippers, averaging 19.2 points per game, and 5.9 assists in 29.6 minutes per game. Williams continues to produce at a high level in his 16th NBA season and is the team’s third-leading scorer behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

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The guard’s 19.2 points per game and 5.9 assists per game are league highs off the bench, showcasing that Williams is still a lethal threat offensively.

Although he has had another fantastic season for the LA Clippers, the Sixth Man of the Year award may not be a guarantee for Williams this year. Teammate Montrezl Harrell has put together a sensational season off the bench as well and has the potential to prevent Williams from winning his third straight award.

Harrell is averaging new career highs in points and rebounds, putting up 18.7 points per game and hauling in 7.1 rebounds nightly. The big man’s 18.7 points per game off the bench ranks third in the league, trailing only Lou Williams and Dennis Schröder.

Coming in as the team’s fourth-leading scorer, the power forward has provided a huge spark off the bench for the LA Clippers offensively, but his defense is thriving as well. The 26-year-old Harrell is averaging a team-high 1.2 blocks per game, bolstering the Clippers’ fifth-ranked opponents point in the paint number at a mere 44.9 points per game.

So, with Williams having another spectacular season and Harrell putting up some of the best numbers throughout his career, which has the edge for the Sixth Man award this season?

As of right now, it is undoubtedly challenging to choose between the two, but Lou Williams takes the slightest advantage as the front-runner. The three-time winner has put together another fantastic season, and his league leader bench points per game and assists per game speak volume to what he has accomplished.

This take is no knock to Harrell, who is having a career year in several aspects, but Williams has won the award three times for a valid reason. The race between the pair is so close right now it is difficult to choose.

If either player were to win the Sixth Man honors, there would likely be no controversy surrounding it due to how much they have each consistently contributed to this team. Both have been vital to the success of the Clippers all season, guiding the league-best bench scoring team with 51.6 points per game.

With 22 games to go until the regular season comes to a close, either can still win the award, but Williams has the slightest edge as of now. Having two candidates for the Sixth Man award is something that few teams, if any, can say they have, serving as a testament to what this tandem has accomplished in Los Angeles.