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LA Clippers: What every player needs to do in the playoffs

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 10: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz on April 10, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 10: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz on April 10, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 26: Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 26, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 26: Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 26, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Lou Williams: Be the closer

Last year, Lou Williams had one of the greatest seasons by a bench player in NBA history. He’s followed that up with another.

During the 2017-2018 campaign, Williams averaged 22.6 points, 5.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds in just under 33 minutes per game. Along the way, he had four 40+ point performances, including a 50-point explosion in a road win over the Golden State Warriors. It was a magnificent season, and one that earned him the Sixth Man of the Year award before the season had come to a close.

This season, Williams has done the same, albeit much more efficiently. In 75 games (and just one start), Williams recorded averages of 20.0 points, 5.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game — over seven minutes less than he played on average last season.

Williams has enjoyed most of that success in the fourth quarter, when he becomes virtually unstoppable. Among players that have appeared in 50 games this season, Williams ranks fourth in fourth quarter scoring, trailing only Kemba Walker and the two MVP candidates in Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden.

Because of that, it’s hard to ever consider the Clippers truly being out of a game entering the fourth quarter. If Sweet Lou gets hot at the right time, he can turn any game into a winnable one — and he just might hit the game-winning shot while he’s at it.

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