Next up in our 202 season preview series is veteran guard Lou Williams, whose role will probably be somewhat diminished this season but remains a crucial part of the Clippers’ plans.

Key Information

Height: 6’1

Weight: 175 pounds

Position: Shooting Guard/Point Guard

Age: 34

Years in NBA: 15

Key Stats: 18.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 0.7 steals in 28.7 minutes per game across 65 games played on 41.8/35.2/86.1 shooting splits.

Playoff Stats: 12.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 0.8 steals in 26.2 minutes per game across 13 games played on 42.5/23.5/81.1 shooting splits.

Contract Status: In final year of a 3 year, $24M extension, unrestricted free agent at end of 2021 season.

Expectations

Lou Williams will probably play somewhere between 25 to 28 minutes per game this season, much as he has the last two years. While the addition of Luke Kennard makes Lou’s skills somewhat superfluous, Lou’s passing, scoring, and overall leadership will make him an essential element to the Clippers’ attack as long as he is on the roster.

Lou’s playoff struggles mean that the Clippers probably don’t want to rely on him as heavily as they have in recent years, but then again, that’s what Kennard is for. In the regular season, Lou will come off the bench for either Pat Beverley or Paul George, and probably do most of the ball-handling while in the game.

However, because of the addition of Kennard, there’s a good chance Lou is traded. The Clippers lacked a balanced roster last year, and while Lou brings a lot of value, both he and Kennard are negative defenders, making them tough to play together in the playoffs. Lou has an easily movable deal, is in the last year of his contract, and would be a perfect addition to another contender who needs his shooting, scoring, and playmaking more than the Clippers might.

If he does stick around, depending on how good (and healthy) Kennard looks, Lou’s role might get diminished in the playoffs. But he’s simply too strong an offensive player (and positive presence) to be benched, and will presumably get at least a handful of minutes per game in the postseason even if Kennard has usurper his first guard off the bench role.

Strengths

Lou Williams is one of the best sixth men of all time in large part because of his scoring acumen. Few NBA players have as many tricks in their bag as Lou – he can hit deep threes off the dribble, play off-ball, get to the free throw line, and force his way downhill even against a set defense. Lou has a wide assortment of flip shots, floaters, and sideways-jumping midrange jumpers that enable him to get off shots in a myriad of ways, especially within 15 feet of the basket. Despite his age, his ballhandling ability and acumen at catching defenders off balance mean he can still knife his way into the lane to finish and draw fouls. While his height is a disadvantage, and he’s not as quick as he used to be, Lou remains a tough cover for almost any defender in the NBA.

Despite his scoring proficiencies, Lou’s true value (and what differentiates him from the likes of Jamal Crawford or many other scoring bench guards) is his passing and playmaking. Lou’s highest assist per game numbers of his entire career (by far) have been in a Clippers jersey, and he’s been the best overall playmaker on the team throughout his tenure. Now, that very fact has been one of the weaknesses of this Clippers team – Lou should not be a contender’s top passer – but he’s a highly underrated creator for others. His pick and roll with Montrezl Harrell was devastating, yet even without his partner, Lou should be able to create magic in the pick and pop with Serge Ibaka off the bench.

Even though his scoring efficiency plummeted in the 2020 playoffs, the Clippers were much better with Lou on the court when off, and that speaks to both his playmaking and the threat of his presence. Even when he’s not shooting the ball well, defenses respect him both on and offball, which creates room for others on offense. And, while his defense was bad, he should look somewhat better without Montrezl Harrell performing as a virtual sieve on the backline.

Finally, Lou is a leader. From the accounts that we’ve heard from the 2020 season, he was the closest thing to a leading light for a locker room that desperately needed such a voice. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are not natural leaders, and Pat Beverley is more of a hype man than someone who can get a team on track. Lou is someone who everyone on the team respects and will listen to, and that’s invaluable.

Weaknesses

Lou Williams is a bad NBA defender. In the regular season, that’s usually not too much of an issue. Sure, it hurts the team on a night to night basis, but it’s not something that is specifically targeted much. However, the playoffs are a different story. When teams can gameplan for an entire series, glaring weaknesses are picked upon, and Lou’s defense is usually one of those. The effort is usually there, but Lou is simply too small and weak for most wings, and does not possess the lateral speed to stay in front of faster guards. He can be hidden off-ball sometimes, but even there inattentiveness can come into play as a negative. There are worse NBA perimeter defenders, but not too many.

The other negative with Lou is streakiness. While his ability to get to the line and playmaking covers for a lot of ills, he’s not a great jumpshooter, and will go through longer and more dire shooting slumps than other top-tier scorers. As he’s aged, his ability to finish around the rim has diminished, which has only exacerbated the streaky shooting. While Lou doesn’t get quite as shot happy as Jamal or guys like Dion Waiters, he usually tries to shoot his way out of slumps, and that can result in some ugly performances.

Summary

Lou Williams remains a very good, if flawed player. His scoring, passing, and leadership make him a valuable member to the Clippers, and the only guy who might possibly replicate his skills is Luke Kennard. Therefore, while his playoff struggles are a real downside, if the Clippers move him, they’d better be sure to get someone who brings at least some of what Lou offers. Lou’s a fan favorite who says that he wants to retire as a Clipper, and hopefully he is able to do so – after helping win the Clippers a ring.

Clippers 2020-2021 Season Preview: Lou Williams
Robert Flom

Rob and Louis return with a new episode of Same Old Clips to discuss the situation that has dominated NBA Twitter the past 24 hours – Lou Williams’ wings stop in Atlanta at a strip club. After that lighthearted segment, Rob and Louis go into a more somber topic: the Anti-Semitic comments made by former NBA player Stephen Jackson over the past couple weeks, and the broad support he’s received on social media. Finally, they close it out with thoughts on the Lakers game and the NBA playoffs in general.

Check out the podcast here! Also, be sure to follow us/subscribe on Spotify, Google Pods, and Apple Podcasts. In addition, rate and review us with 5 stars, and provide feedback, both positive and negative! While you’re at it, go ahead and subscribe to The Lob The Jam The Pod on Spotify, Google Pods, and Apple Podcasts, and leave us a review on those platforms as well!

Same Old Clips might get political at times, but we hope to tackle both the lighthearted nature of sports conversations (such as Lou Williams’ wings journey) as well as messier and more difficult conversations going forward. Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter. We greatly appreciate your support!

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Same Old Clips: Lou Williams’ Wings Adventure
Robert Flom

Well, the news just keeps getting worse for the Clippers. Just now, at the end of his press conference, Doc Rivers said that Lou Williams left Orlando to take care of a personal issue. Lou is the third Clipper to leave Orlando in the past week, joining Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell. While Pat and Trez had explicit family emergencies, Lou’s absence hasn’t even been hinted at. At this point, we just hope that Lou and his family are ok.

With Lou, Pat, and Trez out for personal reasons, Landry Shamet still waiting to test negative from his bout with COVID, and Ivica Zubac somewhere in the ether, the Clippers will be extremely shorthanded for their scrimmage against the Wizards tomorrow. While there doesn’t seem to be an idea that Lou will be out too long, due to the quarantine restrictions, he will probably miss Monday’s scrimmage against the Kings as well.

These scrimmages don’t have any impact on seeding, of course, but they are still an opportunity for the Clippers to get into shape and build up some chemistry before the games start to matter again. With literally half of their rotation gone, this will be very difficult to do. Pat, Trez, and Lou have been able to get some practices in, but this is still far from an ideal scenario.

Now that Lou Williams left Orlando, expect the minutes of Amir Coffey, Rodney McGruder, and Terance Mann to rise. All three played in the Clippers’ first scrimmage, but will presumably receive even bigger roles now. It could be a good opportunity for the young guys to prove they have Doc Rivers’ trust, and for Rodney McGruder to regain some of his pre-Clippers form.

As with Pat and Trez, the most important thing is that Lou and his family are safe and well. Hopefully everything is fine, and this personal absence is not quite as big of an emergency as that of Pat and Trezz. Our thoughts and prayers are with all three players and their families.

LA Clippers News: Lou Williams Left Orlando Bubble
Robert Flom

When a team goes from a surprising underdog story to the NBA’s championship favorites, quite a few things change. Perhaps the most prevalent of these changes is the microscopic criticism that each and every player is placed under. We have seen this happen to many players on the Clippers, but none more than Lou Williams. We went from “Lou Williams is a legend” to “Do the Clippers have a Lou Williams problem?” in no time flat.

Lou was the leader of last year’s team that surprised everybody by not only making the playoffs, but taking two games off of the juggernaut Warriors. Both in that series and in the regular season, Lou led the Clippers in PPG, APG, and USG%. He had the ball in his hands far more than any other Clipper, and that’s the way it was drawn up. He was the guy. Night in and night out, Lou found a way to get it done for a squad that lacked top-tier star power.

Fast forward just a year later, and many across the league are questioning whether or not the Clippers have a “Lou Williams problem.” This stems from the reality that I mentioned earlier, where each and every player on a perceived contender is subject to intense criticism. Often times this criticism is overblown and lacking statistical support, and when it comes to Lou, that is indeed the case. While there are questions that need to be answered, the idea that the Clippers have a “Lou Williams problem” is simply wishful thinking from the opposition.

As expected, Lou has seen a decrease in his role this season. With the additions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, such a development was guaranteed to happen, but context is essential when examining Lou’s downgraded role on the Clippers. On the surface, it does not look like much has changed with Lou and his role on the team. His 15.2 FGA per game last season are only down to 14.7 FGA per game this season. While Lou isn’t the first option on the roster anymore, he does play the majority of his minutes as the first option. Only 250 of Lou’s minutes this season have come with both Kawhi and PG on the floor, while 750 of them have come with both Kawhi and PG off the floor. This is why his total FGA per game has hardly changed from last season to this season.

It takes a little more statistical digging to find the actual decrease in Lou’s role, because while it may not seem like much has changed on the surface, it is the magnitude of Lou’s role that has seen the biggest decrease.

Last season, Lou was 2nd in the NBA in FGA in the 4th quarter, only behind LeBron James. His late game dominance was well covered, as he seemed to always find a way to get it done in the clutch. It was mentioned earlier that his total FGA per game have hardly changed, but rather the magnitude of these shots that have seen the biggest decrease. The stats support this, because Lou went from 2nd in the NBA in 4th quarter FGA (6.0) last season to 17th (4.6) in that same category this season.

Lou’s 4th quarter magic last season was not only impressive because of how and where he was doing it, but because it ranked amongst the NBA’s biggest stars. His 7.6 PPG in the 4th quarter ranked 5th in the entire NBA, only behind LeBron, Harden, Kemba, and Giannis. As previously mentioned, his 4th quarter FGA’s have taken a hit with the addition of Kawhi and PG, but what is remarkable about Lou is that a decreased role has not meant decreased production.

Lou’s ability to come through in the clutch has not decreased one bit from last season’s historic campaign. In the 2018-19 season, Lou averaged 2.8 PPG in the clutch on 45.9% from the field and 37.5% from deep. Despite playing along two superstars this season, Lou is still averaging 2.8 PPG in the clutch, but he’s doing it on better efficiency. His 47.8% from the floor and 42.1% clip from deep in the clutch both rank higher than his marks last season. He is no longer the main option, but that hasn’t caused his clutch time production to go down one bit.

The NBA considers clutch time the last five minutes of a game with the score within five points. As good as Lou is in those spots, he gets even better when the stakes get higher. In the last minute of games separated by five points or less, Lou is 8/12 from the field and 4/6 from deep this season. Among all players who took at least 12 of these shots, Lou’s 66.7% from the field was the best in the entire NBA.

Scoring the ball is far from Lou’s only offensive capability. What separates him from a guy like Jamal Crawford is his playmaking ability. This season Lou averaged 5.7 APG, making him the only player to do so while starting less than 10 games. This is just one of the many reasons why Lou is so valuable to this Clippers team, despite what the narrative might suggest.

Until this point, everything that has been discussed is been relative to Lou’s on ball dominance; however, since the addition of Reggie Jackson, Lou has seen an increased amount of time off the ball. The duo of Lou Williams and Reggie Jackson logged 112 minutes together before the season was suspended. They boasted a 121.7 ORTG, 98.8 DRTG, and 22.9 total NTRG. That NTRG was the highest among any Clippers’ duo that played at least 100 minutes together.

Perhaps the biggest reason why this duo thrived the way it did was because of how good Lou Williams is off the ball. This season, Lou knocked down 42.5% of his catch and shoot threes. Since the addition of Reggie Jackson, that clip ascended to an insane 60% mark.

Quite a bit has been explored thus far, and all of it has been about Lou’s offensive dominance; however, the reason why many consider the Clippers to have a “Lou Williams problem” is because of his poor defense. When Clipper fans talk about Lou’s clutch time offensive dominance, a Clippers hater will counter with his clutch time defensive weaknesses. These are real concerns, but they have real answers.

Unsurprisingly, Lou is one of the Clippers’ worst defensive players. His 106.6 DRTG is 2nd worst on the team, only behind Shamet. There are multiple ways the Clippers can handle Lou’s poor defense, and the first is to monitor who he is playing alongside. While Lou’s near 107 DRTG is 2nd worst on the team, when he’s playing alongside Pat Bev, it drops to a 102.0 mark. When Kawhi is added into the mix, the trio of Lou, Bev, and Kawhi has a 92.7 DRTG. That is a very stellar mark, and in fact, of every 3-man lineup that has played at least 240 minutes together this season, the trio of Lou, Bev, and Kawhi, has the 4th best DRTG.

If having Lou alongside Bev and Kawhi doesn’t tank the defense, then why is Lou’s individual DRTG so poor? The answer is that the guard and forward he plays the majority of his minutes alongside are not Kawhi and Bev, but rather Shamet and JaMychal Green. For reference, Lou has logged 876 minutes alongside Green, and 754 minutes alongside Shamet. In comparison, he’s played 719 minutes alongside Kawhi, and just 535 alongside Pat Bev. The answer to why this is the case is obvious: Lou comes off the bench, so he will naturally play more minutes alongside other reserves. However, the difference in his ability to hide defensively with Kawhi and Bev on the floor as opposed to when they’re off the floor is staggering.

It was mentioned earlier that the trio of Bev, Lou, and Kawhi have a stellar DRTG of 92.7; however, the trio Lou, Sham, and J-Myke have a DRTG of 105.5. While that isn’t awful, it is significantly worse than the mark put up by Bev, Lou, and Kawhi. This is why I don’t think Lou’s defense in the payoffs is going to be as big of an issue as it’s being made out to be. Come playoff time, there will hardly be any full bench lineups. Instead, one or both of Kawhi and PG will be on the floor at all times. Alongside those two, Lou has a 99.3 DRTG, which is once again a stellar mark.

While these are advanced stats, they tell a simple story. When Lou is playing alongside multiple elite defenders, he is able to hide on defense. When he is paired with other mediocre to poor defenders, that is not the case. Come playoff time, the majority of Lou’s minutes will no longer come without one or both of Kawhi and PG on the floor. This is a very real and statistically supported way for the Clippers to mitigate Lou’s poor defense, but it is not the only way that they can do so.

What about the game against the Lakers? The Clippers were fully healthy, yet LeBron still exposed Lou. Yes, yes he did. First, Laker fans, LeBron did not make some groundbreaking discovery about Lou’s poor defense. He did a great job at exploiting it, but he is far from the first player to do so. Regardless, this is obviously a problem for the Clippers. In order to hoist the Larry O.B. trophy, they almost certainly have to go through LeBron and the Lakers. While Lou’s defense is problematic, it isn’t the fatal flaw that it has been made out to be.

It was previously mentioned that there are multiple ways for the Clippers to mitigate Lou’s poor defense. The first was to pair him with elite defenders. The Clippers have done that, but it did not work against LeBron and the Lakers; however, the solution to this problem is simple. Take Lou off the floor. Lou is great. He can take over games, make big shots, and is undeniably clutch; however, with the way this roster is constructed, the Clippers don’t need him out there at all times. If Lou is being abused defensively by somebody like LeBron, he does not need to be out there.

Lou’s likely replacement in the closing lineup would be Patrick Beverley. Against the Lakers this season, Bev had a 98.4 DRTG, while Lou’s was 102.5. Unsurprisingly, Pat Bev is defensively superior to Lou Williams. With the offensive firepower that the Clippers have, it allows them to sacrifice Lou’s offensive ability late in games for a better defensive option like Pat Bev. What makes this such an easy decision for the Clippers is that what Bev brings offensively is far superior to what most would believe. Bev actually had a higher ORTG than Lou this season. While that can largely be attributed to Bev playing more minutes alongside Kawhi and PG than Lou did, there is truth to the idea that Bev is underrated offensively.

Pat Bev is perfect for the role he plays alongside two ball dominant superstars. He shoots 42% on his wide-open threes, which are shots he is likely to get, and 40% on catch and shoot threes, which are also shots he frequently see. This idea that the Clippers swapping Lou for Bev late in games is a massive drop-off offensively is simply false. Pat Bev is a fantastic offensive player, and is perfect alongside Kawhi and PG.

Regardless of what the numbers show, the Clippers don’t need three closers out there every night. While it is a luxury to have multiple guys who can close out a game, if one of them is getting exposed on the other end, replacing him with a better defensive option is the correct move. Do the Clippers have a Lou Williams problem? I think not. Come playoff time, I trust Doc will make the right call.

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Do The Clippers Have A Lou Williams Problem?
Joey Linn