Lou Williams
RETIRED

Player Facts

Height: 6'1"
Weight: 175lbs.

Wingspan: N/A

Date of Birth: Oct. 27, 1986
College Experience: N/A

Selections

All Star: 0
All-NBA: 0
All-Defensive: 0

Player Grades

Speed/Explosiveness: 7
Physical Strength: 4
Positional Size: 4
Positional Wingspan: 6
Paint Scoring: 5
Midrange Scoring: 6
Three-Point Scoring: 8
Dribbling: 8
Passing: 7
Perimeter Defense: 2
Interior Defense: 1
Rebounding: 2

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JUMP TO SECTION

> Intro

> Microwave Scorer

> Scoring Game Breakdown

> Finishing + Drawing Fouls

> Using Screens to Score

> Growth as a Playmaker

> Spotting Up

> Not the Model Defender

> Rough Rebounding & Shooting Percentages

> Beacon Bacon

>Link to Player Contract & Salary Info

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*All statistical data courtesy of NBA Advanced Stats

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STRENGTHS

Intro

Lou Williams is instant offense off the bench and can score in a variety of ways. The 6'1" combo guard came straight out of high school and into the league. From his early years until now, his calling card has never changed – volume scoring.

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Microwave Scorer

He has settled into a sixth-man role who can offer genuine scoring punch. Lou can terrorize opposing second units with that prolific point-getting. In fact, he has had multiple seasons of scoring up over 28% of his team's total points (while he's on the court).

Lou and his robust scoring game have led to many games closing with the starters. He has hit a number of clutch shots and capped off multiple comeback efforts in the 4th. Besides just buzzer-beaters, Williams' individual shot creation is the groundwork for his value here.

Scoring Game Breakdown

His deep iso skillset is an impactful part of his play at all junctures of the game of course. He has cultivated a simple yet highly effectively move-set to turn to. Being just 6'1" with not much lift on his jumpers, Williams has honed his craft to the point where those things do not really matter. A visibly long wingspan for his height helps too.

Lou scored 134 isolation points during his third 6MOTY campaign. This bested skilled guards like Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray. It also bested offensively gifted big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid.

His tight handle and overall skill with the ball are the backbones here for Lou. He also does a great job of being balanced, then staying balanced on step-backs and leaning jumpers. That high teardrop game of his is yet another strength on this end of the floor.

Lou excels as a shooter when going to his left. A right-handed shot, he's able to align that shooting hip and elbow to the rim. Williams will even can jumpers going left as he veers further in mid-air.

Conversely, he's at his best as a dribble driver when attacking right. Defenders actually will avoid playing him straight up because of how deadly a shooter he is going left. This can open up his right side for swift straight-line drives. More cluttered driving paths will be countered by silky speed changes from Lou.

In 2018-2019 his 922 drives begot 619 points for him. 2019-2020 saw those figures shift to 722 and 422 respectively (10 fewer games played). In that latter season, he only turned the ball over 47 times on these drives and his point total bested Kemba Walker, Tobias Harris, and Jaylen Brown.

Finishing + Drawing Fouls

Williams loves that extended-arm scoop layup with his right. He combats being a small guard by getting into the defender's body first. Lou stays stuck to his man on his 1-2 before leaping away from them and towards the basket for the lay-in.

While his rim percentages are not great, his craftiness around the basket earns him consistent free throw trips. Getting low means that the crafty Lou can spring up through the defender's arms and earn the call. The just 6'1" guard has all the tricks to be a common frequenter of the line despite non-stellar size or muscle mass.

Lou's been in the top-17 for free throw makes each season from 2014-2015 to 2019-2020. His cool, calm approach at the stripe has manifested in some elite FT%'s over the years. As a final note to this section, his ability to stop on a dime and just decelerate in general is magnificent.

Using Screens to Score

Williams' diverse scoring arsenal holds true as the pick-and-roll initiator. When Lou holds the keys during these actions, he can score in any number of ways. His bloated 592 points here in 2019-2020 represents profound point production. Ja Morant, Bradley Beal, CJ McCollum, and Zach LaVine were all lagging behind.

Lou of course can nail threes off-the-bounce or attack the rack. The midrange is where he makes a large imprint though. He'll often go right off the screen, then snake it back to his left so he can comfortably rise and fire. The Memphis native has a polished float game here too.

He ended up with more midrange points than D'Angelo Russell, Anthony Davis, and Malcolm Brogdon in 2019-2020. These elbow jumpers have always been a staple of his game though. Back in 2011-2012, a 25-year-old Lou in Philadelphia made more midrangers than Jamal Crawford and an ascending Blake Griffin.

Lou will also utilize DHO's to score a lot similar to most guards. The offense is best served to have him sprint into a handoff to his left so that the quick three-ball option is maximized. He was in the 68th percentile scoring via dribble handoffs in 2019-2020 and hit many of his 84 above-the-break triples this way.

Growth as a Playmaker

Mid-career, he took his pick-and-roll playmaking to another level. He became both more adept and more willing to feed his dive man with crisp pocket passes and lobs.

The ball-handler/roller chemistry he had with Montrezl Harrell had more recently been apparent with Serge Ibaka and Ivica Zubac, albeit to a lesser extent. Now in Atlanta, bigs like Clint Capela and John Collins benefit from Lou Will's facilitation flair.

Spotting Up

Part of what fuels his time at the two is his off-ball game. His catch-and-shoot three clip was a glimmering 40.9% in 2019-2020. This spaced the floor out so offensive weapons such as Kawhi Leonard could go to work.

WEAKNESSES

Not the Model Defender

Lou has never been able to turn himself into even an average defender over a full season. His physical measurements shoehorn him into the proverbial "pest" role. However, his point of attack defense is suspect a lot of the time.

Williams' very slight 175-pound build gets exposed on defense. The smallest opposing guard tends to be his assignment but if they're 200-pounds+ it can get difficult. Lou is simply too frail to handle this sort of physicality on a consistent basis.

To compound his physical shortcomings on defense, Lou's effort level rises and falls. He too often fails to play with the requisite defensive intensity and vigor to truly bother opponents. If he gets hung up on a screen, there's not a good chance he'll hustle to pursue his man.

Earlier in his career, he was more of a disruptor with his quick hands. A more mature Williams struggles to do so with pedestrian steals averages of 0.8 and 0.7 in 2018-2019 and then 2019-2020. What hasn't changed much over the years is teams' targeting of Lou as he's such a small and light defender.

Rough Rebounding & Shooting Percentages

Weak defensive rebounding rounds out his struggles on this end. Not much is expected of a 6'1" guard in the boards department. Still, just 2.6 defensive rebounds/game and 0.5 box-outs/contest are pretty rough.

His main problems offensively have to do with his percentages. A propensity to take tough shots, while he can make them, has led to years of weak field goal percentages. His paint clips are not mind-blowing either, hitting sub-60% at the rim from 2017-2018 to 2019-2020. Finishing against size can be a problem.

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Lou Williams is a three-time Sixth Man of the Year recipient: 2014-2015, 2017-2018 & 2018-2019