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

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in NBA Basketball

Updated Mar 24, 2020 · 9:52 AM PDT

Lou Williams walking on the court
Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers is the chalk to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
  • 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

Player Team Odds
Lou Williams Los Angeles Clippers +170
Spencer Dinwiddie Brooklyn Nets +700
Terrence Ross Orlando Magic +900
Montrezl Harrell Los Angeles Clippers +1000
Jerami Grant Denver Nuggets +1400
Eric Gordon Houston Rockets +1400
Bobby Portis New York Knicks +1400
Derrick Rose Detroit Pistons +1800
Jaylen Brown Boston Celtics +1800
Dennis Schroder Oklahoma City Thunder +2000
JJ Redick New Orleans Pelicans +1200

*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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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).

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