Los Angeles Clippers: Lou Williams is a proven all-star

A sixth-man in the NBA All-Star game? If anyone deserves it, look to Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams.

Lou Williams has started the past seven games for the Los Angeles Clippers and they have won six of those seven games. This includes victories over the top two teams in the West, the Warriors and Rockets. In those seven games, Williams is averaging 31.3 points per game (PPG) and 5.7 assists per game (APG).

Seven-game runs do not make an all-star, especially in a loaded Western Conference that boasts guards like Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, among many others. This all-star case is about Williams’ whole season, and just how much the Los Angeles Clippers have relied on him.

On the year, Williams is averaging a team-leading 23.4 PPG and 5.0 APG while starting just 14 of 44 games. Lou Williams is 15th in the league in scoring but is the only player in the top 25 that hasn’t started every game he’s played in this year.

The problem with Williams’ all-star case is the talent-level in the Western Conference. Curry and Harden have already been announced as starters for the game. Westbrook is virtually a lock to join them as a reserve. That leaves probably three-to-five spots for the rest of the Western guards. Who could challenge Williams for those spots?

Seven names immediately come to mind. Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, C.J. McCollum and Donovan Mitchell can all make a case to claim one of those few remaining spots.

Working in Williams’ favor is the fact that Paul has been hurt and missed significant time. His stats (19.2 PPG and 9.0 APG) are good enough, but missing 17 games could cost Paul his spot.

Butler has been fantastic in recent weeks and is averaging 21.7 PPG and over five rebounds and assists per game for a top-four team in the conference. He should make the team.

Thompson has been his usual, solid self at 20.6 PPG on 45.3 percent shooting from 3-point range. He should be in as well. That leaves maybe one more spot for Williams, Booker, Lillard, McCollum and Mitchell.

Booker is having a career year in his third season, averaging 25.3 PPG and filling the stat-sheet on a nightly basis for the lowly Phoenix Suns. The key here is “the lowly Phoenix Suns.” Players on inferior teams are generally less likely to get all-star consideration. There should be no doubt that Booker will make many, many all-star appearances in his career, but he might have to wait this time.

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Mitchell, one of the NBA’s top rookies, is similar to Booker in that he is carrying a lesser team. The Jazz are nine games below .500 even though Mitchell is averaging 19.3 PPG. Rudy Gobert’s absence hurts, but Mitchell is just below all-star level in his first NBA season.

Looking at the backcourt in Portland, it will be hard not to send either Lillard or McCollum to LA in February. At 25.2 and 21.6 PPG, respectively, Lillard and McCollum are both deserving. The Trail Blazers are 25-21 while the Los Angeles Clippers are 23-22, so that is nearly even.

The difference is that Lou Williams has done this on his own. Lillard and McCollum can play off each other and take turns torching the defense. Williams has Blake Griffin, but his backcourt partners of either Austin Rivers or Milos Teodosic are nowhere near Lillard or McCollum’s level.

Next: The Clippers-Cavs deal must get done

It’s time to recognize Lou Williams’ game. In his 12th year in the league, Lou Will is no longer just the “six man” that Drake deemed him to be back in 2015. If you’re reading this, it’s not too late to start calling him “all-star like Lou Will.”

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