OKC Thunder 30 for 30, part 12 – Evaluating shooting guard Lou Williams

The OKC Thunder 30 for 30 head to Los Angeles and take aim at one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA today – shooting guard Lou Williams.

With shooting and microwave scoring at a premium, the OKC Thunder take a look at Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard Lou WIlliams. After a career season in 2017-18 where he averaged 22.6 points, its difficult to fathom how a two-time sixth man of the year penned a bargain three year, $24 million-dollar deal last season. At that price, Lou-Will should be targeted by every team in the NBA.

It’s no secret the modern NBA favors small, quick guards who can score and shoot in bunches. Even at age 31, Williams makes a mockery of the switch-heavy NBA defenses with his savvy ball handling, body control and speed off the dribble. As currently constructed, Oklahoma City have eight guards on its roster but only two can reliably create their own shot and get a bucket (Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder). When the offense bogs down, the Thunder struggle to get buckets despite possessing three isolation heavy scorers. Lou-Will makes tough shots and has bailed his respective teams out on many occasions.

The Clippers have one of the weirdest roster constructions with eight guards all on guaranteed contracts. Patrick Beverley, Milos Teodosic and Avery Bradley all missed extended time with various ailments last season while Sindarius Thornwell, Jawun Evans, Shai Gichrist-Alexander and Jerome Robinson are unknown quantities at this level. The Clippers have big time decisions to make over the coming months.

OKC are on the hunt for legit scorer and Williams’ name has been thrown around for the past few seasons. With the Thunder undergoing a methodical make-over while remaining a contending team, lets take a deeper look at how he helps Oklahoma City should he make his way to the Mid-West.