The reward for a Sixth Man of the Year campaign: 3-year, $21-million deal and a chance to chuck alongside Kobe and Swaggy.
As many expected, Lou Williams found himself a nice deal in free agency and left Toronto after a memorable comeback campaign. The Lakers signed Williams to a 3-year, $21-million deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Williams joins no. 2 pick D’Angelo Russell and Roy Hibbert as the Lakers’ additions this summer.
In fact, the Raptors never even made an offer to Lou, according to the man himself.
It’s a curious move for Los Angeles, who have several high-usage guards. Russell will need his touches, the Lakers are high on Jordan Clarkson, Swaggy P is still kickin’ it and of course, there’s the 35-usage-percentage elephant in the room: Kobe Bryant eats first. Everyone else second.
But still, the Lakers want to improve and grabbing Williams is certainly an upgrade. He might be tight for touches, but Williams can shoot 3’s (which the Lakers need), he can get to the line (which the Lakers need) and doesn’t suck at basketball (which the Lakers have too much of).
Williams’s departure from the Raptors leaves a scoring void. As much as fan gripped about Williams’s propensity to shoot, he was still able to score at an above league-average rate of efficiency, and had the ability to spark a big run by catching fire. His individual scoring talents are rare, and the Raptors will miss his contributions. When Williams was on, he produced magical moments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP1vSeuC4m8
But many argued that the Raptors needed to find some balance in their offense. Isolation and high pick-and-roll where the guard kept the ball formed the backbone of Toronto’s attack. It made for low assist rates and a high reliance of individual scorers to provide brilliant outings. Removing Williams from the mix and replacing him with a distributor is a step towards finding a balanced attack.
Williams’s defense was also a factor. He has quick hands and a large wingspan for his height, but he was slight and not always motivated defensively. Along with a lead-footed Greivis Vasquez, the Raptors’ interior players were stuck repeatedly making up for lapses inside. The common theme of the Raptors’ offseason has been to improve the defense and shedding Williams would fit that pattern.
Finding a replacement for Williams won’t be easy. Ideally, the Raptors could find a combo guard with decent size, good playmaking instincts and an ability to lead a second unit. My suggestion? Jeremy Lin. Grab him at less than the mid-level exception and I’ll be happy.
