Feb 11, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Lou Williams (23) shoots against the Washington Wizards at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Wizards 95-93. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
2. Lou Williams
Notable Stats: 15.2 ppg, 39.6 percent shooting from the field, 1.2 spg.
Random Fun Stat: Fifth in the league in free throw attempts per 36 minutes.
People wonder why Atlanta is playing so well this season, and it’s because they make trades like the Williams one over the summer. When the Hawks traded him and former 16th overall pick, Lucas Nogueira, to the Raptors for John Salmons, it caused people to write articles like, “The Toronto Raptors Got Their Best Sixth Man For Almost Nothing And It Was An Absolute Steal”. But what happened? Atlanta waived Salmons to clear a total of three roster spots and alleviate themselves of the $5.45 million they owed Williams. From there, they re-signed Shelvin Mack and Mike Scott and added Thabo Sefolosha, Elton Brand, and Kent Bazemore, all key team contributors on the squad running away with the East. Getting rid of a ball magnet was huge for Atlanta, a team second in the league in assists this season.
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Even though he wouldn’t have worked for Atlanta, Williams has been terrific for Toronto this season. Originally a second-round pick, Williams averaged 14.9 ppg off the bench for the 76ers in the 2011-12 season. He then signed with Atlanta, but tore his ACL halfway through the 2012-13 season. After missing the start of the 2013-14, campaign Williams didn’t look right after the injury. Some people, and maybe even Atlanta, thought he would never be the same after the injury.
This year Williams is second behind Crawford in bench scoring. He has been a terrific contributor for the team scoring the fifth-most points in the league. Like Crawford, Williams comes up short because of his efficiency. He takes over 11 shots a game, yet only averages 39.6 percent shooting from the field. And besides scoring and steals, he doesn’t really do anything. He plays 24.6 mpg and averages 1.8 rpg and 1.8 apg. He also is notoriously a less-than-stellar defender. Despite this, Williams is probably the leader right now for the award and is having a really good season.
Next: Isaiah Thomas