Raptors' Williams named Sixth Man of the Year
TORONTO — Raptors guard Lou Williams was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year on Monday, becoming the first player in team history to win the award.
Williams received 78 of a possible 130 first-place votes, winning by a comfortable margin over Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, who received 33 first-place votes.
Clippers guard Jamal Crawford, who has won the award twice, including last year, was third with eight first-place votes. Williams was named on 122 of the 130 ballots.
Williams was a key offseason pickup from Atlanta as part of a trade that the Hawks made largely because they wanted to clear salary-cap space. His numbers sagged last season as he came back from an ACL tear he suffered in January 2013.
But Williams rebounded strongly with the Raptors, averaging a career-high 15.5 points in 80 games off the bench. He was particularly crucial to the team in December when star DeMar DeRozan went down for an extended period with an injury.
“I’m excited about Lou, a guy who comes back from an injury and works hard and is dedicated to getting his body right,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said Monday. “Nobody knew what he was going to bring to the table … whether he was damaged goods or whatever. He’s proved to everybody he’s the old Lou Williams.”
Williams led or tied for the team lead in scoring 18 times off the bench, second most for a reserve in the league. In March he set a record for points in a quarter with 21 in the fourth period against the Cavaliers.
Williams quickly became popular with Canadian fans for his laid-back demeanor and ability to score quickly. He achieved another level of celebrity when Raptors part-owner Drake referenced him in a recently released song called “6 Man.”
“He finished a lot of games for us and helped us win a lot of games,” DeRozan said. “He’s a cool dude. Lou Will is the coolest dude in the world. If you can’t tell on the court, now you know. He had a song about him and now he’s got an award to go with the song.”
Williams scored 10 points but was just 4-of-16 shooting in the Raptors’ Game 1 overtime loss to the Wizards on Saturday. He will be presented with the trophy Monday afternoon at a ceremony in Toronto.
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