Lou Williams will be named the winner of the 2018 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, that is if you believe all the NBA experts and Williams himself. Is it arrogant for Williams to think he is the best first man off the bench in the league? Not at all, just look at the stats and how he performed on the court this season and it is hard to disagree.
According to Slam Online, Williams nominated himself as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, and his points are all very valid.
In fact, arguing against it is kind of silly. It would be hard to argue with Williams as this year’s winner for the top player off the bench, an award he has already claimed once before in his career.
When asked about his chances of winning, Williams wasn't bashful with his response.
“Yes,” Williams said. “First player to lead the team in scoring and assists off the bench. I had an opportunity to be in the All-Star talks and just for us to be competitive with the way that everything went. Honestly speaking, I had a lot to do with it.”
Better than 2015
Williams won the Sixth Man award back in 2015 with the Toronto Raptors and he has had an even better season this year, which happens to be his first as a member with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The big man leads Los Angeles in scoring with 22.5 points per game. He also leads the team in assists with just over five per contest. Remember, these are numbers for a guy who spent most of the season coming off the bench!
So just how good has Williams been during the 2017-18 campaign? Williams’ season is truly one for the record books. He has had the highest scoring average of any NBA player coming off the bench in the last quarter century, and he is the only player in NBA history to average at least 20 points and five assists off the bench.
Just to add a bit more flare to his incredible season, Williams leads the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring, averaging almost eight points per game.
Vegas odds
The prop bets for the Sixth Man of the Year Award don’t get a huge amount of attention, but this one looks like it is Williams and Williams alone. In fact, if you believe that Williams won’t win the award, then you had better make a wager. You can’t make much money wagering on Williams, and that is because he is the clear-cut favorite. Williams is listed at -250 to win the Sixth Man award. Behind him is Eric Gordon and Will Barton, both listed at +400, and Kelly Olynyk at +700.
Williams is also listed on the odds board to win the 2018 NBA MVP award, however, those odds are much different. Just like Williams is the heavy favorite to take the Sixth Man award, Houston's James Harden is the overwhelming favorite to capture the MVP trophy this season. Harden is -290, while the next closest in line is LeBron James at +200.