The vast majority of players that cycle through the NBA fail to earn universal respect and admiration from their peers. Come off the bench, and it's even easier to fade back into the crowd.
But there are always exceptions to the rule, and Lou Williams is certainly an exception, the league's quintessential sixth man.
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As the playoffs creep ever closer — the Clippers locked up a postseason spot Tuesday night — Williams has essentially shut down the Sixth Man of the Year debate. And he knows it.
Facts only.@TeamLou23 | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/xLMcrBVsNu
— x - LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 25, 2019
There are challengers, of course. Domantas Sabonis has had a wonderful season for the Pacers. He’s been a stabilizing force following Victor Oladipo's devastating knee injury. Williams' teammate, Montrezl Harrell, also has a case.
| Player | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
| Lou Williams | 69 | 0 | 26.7 | 6.6 | 15.4 | .428 | 1.4 | 4.0 | .355 | 5.2 | 11.5 | .453 | .473 | 5.7 | 6.5 | .878 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 20.3 |
| Montrezl Harrell | 75 | 4 | 26.5 | 6.7 | 10.8 | .617 | 0.0 | 0.2 | .133 | 6.6 | 10.6 | .626 | .618 | 3.2 | 5.0 | .641 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 16.6 |
| Domantas Sabonis | 67 | 5 | 24.7 | 5.5 | 9.4 | .587 | 0.1 | 0.2 | .533 | 5.4 | 9.1 | .588 | .593 | 3.0 | 4.1 | .720 | 2.5 | 6.8 | 9.3 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 14.1 |
However, the numbers don't tell the full story about what Williams has meant to Los Angeles.
The Clippers aren’t even sniffing the playoffs without him. The Pacers are better with Sabonis on the floor, but they can survive if he heads to the bench. The Clippers can't afford to lose Williams, who has carried the team throughout the season, especially after the front office decided to send Tobias Harris to Philadelphia before the trade deadline.
| 2018-19 Clippers | Off Rating | Def Rating | Net Rating | TS % |
| Williams On | 112.9 | 106.9 | 6.0 | 58.1 |
| Williams Off | 104.9 | 108.4 | -3.5 | 56.4 |
Williams leads the NBA in bench scoring (20.3 points per game) and assists (5.3). He holds the second-highest bench scoring average over the last 30-plus seasons, trailing only his own 21.9 points per game from 2017-18. He is as clutch as they come, ranking third in the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring (7.7) behind only LeBron James (8.6) and James Harden (8.5). He recently passed Dell Curry for the most bench points in NBA history.
Just ask players and coaches around the league. The Sixth Man race is already over.
— "Sabonis? I don’t know why y’all saying anyone but Lou," Clippers guard Patrick Beverley told Sporting News. "It’s not even close. I think his only competition is three lockers down from him."
— "He’s not going for [Sixth Man of the Year]," Celtics center and former Hawks teammate Al Horford told Sporting News. "He already has it. He has it all locked up."
— "The guy is a living legend," Trail Blazers forward and former 76ers teammate Evan Turner told Sporting News. "He deserves it. He’s the man."
— "That's Lou Will's award," Heat guard Dwyane Wade tweeted when asked about chasing Sixth Man of the Year.
— "I think he definitely wins the Sixth Man award," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said, surprisingly endorsing Williams over Sabonis.
That's part of what makes Williams special. He's on the floor producing every night.
But Williams wouldn't stand out if he didn't have the swagger and personality to match his game. We're talking about a guy who famously managed to talk down a gunman looking to rob him, then took that man to McDonald's because he was hurting and hungry.
"Lou is the coolest, smoothest person I’ve ever been around in my life," Beverley told Sporting News. "He doesn’t get rattled by the big moments. He leads. Doesn’t do a lot of yelling. His leadership is off the charts. He’s the only person on this team who can calm me down. And that’s rare."
Bring up Williams' name, and former teammates go out of their way to praise him.
"He meant a lot to me. That’s my big brother," Turner told Sporting News. "He always checked to make sure that I was good. It was the little things he did. When I was a rookie, I was struggling so much. I remember when we were in Detroit. He asked me out for my first real drinks, and he asked me to meet him at the bar. And he told me it wasn’t optional.
"He told me about the league and how he struggled in his first couple years, and to never to forget who you are. Don’t take this basketball stuff home with you."
Sure, Williams should be the 2018-19 Sixth Man of the Year, yet that only scratches the surface of his impact. He's a star in his role, a leader, a teammate, a friend, a calming presence.
He's the exception.