Lou Williams Favored to Win Sixth Man of the Year for Fourth Time; Is He the Best Bet?

• Sportsbooks have established Lou Williams as the +170 favorite to win the 2019-20 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award
• He has won the award in each of the past two seasons
• Williams (three) and Jamal Crawford (two) have won five of the last six 6MOY awards

In the NBA, Lou Williams is the man – the sixth man, that is.

The Los Angeles Clippers guard has won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in each of the last two seasons, and sportsbooks believe that Williams is in line for a threepeat.

Williams is the overwhelming +170 chalk to capture his third straight 6MOY.

2019-20 NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Award Odds

*Odds taken on 10/15/19

No other player is getting better than +700 odds in this betting market.

Williams Is The Sixth One

Reserves don’t tend to get catchy nicknames attached to them, and that’s just not fair. If Giannis Antetokounmpo is the Greek Freak, then Williams is the Bench Mensch.

He is to coming off the bench what Michael Jordan was to clutch shooting. Williams has simply redefined the role of the sixth man. He’s turned it into a personal dynasty.

Lou Williams is dominating these scrimmages pic.twitter.com/JcUIUnEUSz

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) October 12, 2019

He owns the bench, and the rest of the players are just sitting there because Williams allows it to be so.

During his back-to-back 6MOY wins, Williams has posted averages of 21.3 points per game and 5.4 assists per game. He also shot 43% from the field.

Kawhi Leonard vs Lou Williams. 👀pic.twitter.com/59Scf59DuB

— Jordan (@Jorda_NBA) October 9, 2019

He’s done all that coming off the bench. There are NBA starters who can only dream of posting those sorts of numbers.

The man is a legend. How many backups do you know who have their own signature line of shoes?

To celebrate my third sixth man award we dropped my signature shoe on @amazon. Use code LouWill6 for 20% off pic.twitter.com/v2R0NDNprk

— Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) October 15, 2019

Williams has finished in the top three in the 6MOY balloting in four of the past five years, winning the award three times.  He couldn’t be considered for this recognition in 2015-16, because Williams started more games than he came off the bench.

Williams and Jamal Crawford, who’s no longer in the NBA, have won five of the past six 6MOY awards. They are also the only players to earn this recognition three times during their careers.

Any Other Player Worth Consideration?

Spencer Dinwiddie was averaging 17.2 ppg for the Brooklyn Nets when he suffered a thumb injury. Terrence Ross scored a career-high 15.1 ppg off the bench for the Orlando Magic last season.

JJ Redick will be adapting to a regular bench role with the New Orleans Pelicans but at 35, it could be the perfect fit for him. He averaged a career-high 18.1 points per game for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018-19.

JJ Redick and Lonzo went head-to-head in a 3-pt contest after practice 💦

(via @PelicansNBA)pic.twitter.com/CPgml5MGcn

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 3, 2019

An intriguing longshot to watch might be Portland Trailblazers guard Rodney Hood (+5000). After starting for Utah and Cleveland, Hood settled nicely into a bench role with Portland and inked a two-year deal to stay there.

How Will Clippers Additions Impact Williams?

The offseason acquisitions of 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and NBA Defensive Player of the Year finalist Paul George certainly changed the dynamic of the Clippers. It instantly turned them into NBA championship contenders.

But will it alter the impact Williams has on the floor?

Sixth Man of the Year predictions: Sweet Lou Williams for three, or new blood? pic.twitter.com/yKL4Tbg5FW

— MyClippers 🏴‍☠️ (@MyClippers) October 14, 2019

Not in the least. The Clippers will still rely heavily on the offense they get off the bench from Williams and Montrezl Harrell, who finished third overall in sixth man voting last season.

The numbers indicate that bench strength is more vital today than ever before in the NBA. Research done by Basketball-Reference shows that in 2008-09, 46 NBA players played 35 minutes or more per game.

Last season, just seven players played 35 minutes or more per game, and only seven players saw action in all 82 games.

Doc said there’s a chance with his sliding lineup that he will start Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell together some games. The starters would be Trezz, Lou, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and a “pick ‘em” for the fifth slot.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 13, 2019

If the Clippers are intent on making a deep playoff run, bench strength will be vital.

Williams is like the heavyweight champion of sixth men. If anyone wants to beat him, they’re going to have to knock him out.

Pick: Lou Williams (+170).