NBA History: 5 greatest bench players of the last decade (2010-2019)
In a star-studded league such as the NBA, people sometimes forget how important the bench is to a team's success. Time and time again, however, history has shown just how vital contributions are coming from these players. Teams who have found success in the regular season, go deep in the playoffs, and even go on to win the championship, generally have one of the top benches and super-subs.
John Havlicek, Bill Walton, Kevin McHale, Tony Kukoc, Detlef Schrempf,--these are just some of the best super subs that have made a tremendous impact on their team. Most of them have even made it to the Hall of Fame.
But who are the best bench players of thsi decade? Let us find out.
#5 Lou Williams
Lou Williams has embraced his role as a sixth man and has been phenomenal from the bench. He has won three Sixth Man of the Year Awards, tying Jamal Crawford for most 6MOTY won by an NBA player.
Straight from high school, the 6'1 shooting guard was selected as the 45th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He spent 7 seasons with the team and was runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year in the 2011-2012 season before signing with the Atlanta Hawks in 2012. Unfortunately, Lou tore his ACL mid-season and missed the first few games of the following season before tallying 10.4 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds to end the year with the Hawks.
It is with the Toronto Raptors that Lou Williams finally found his groove back as he won Sixth Man of the Year in 2015, even scoring a career-high 36 points during that season. As the sixth man, Lou Williams averaged 15.5 points, 2.1 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in just 25 minutes of action.
Recently, Lou Williams has continued to tear it up with the Los Angeles Clippers, winning back-to-back 6 MOTY in 2018 and 2019. Some of his greatest performances include a 42-point outing against the Lakers in 2017 and an incredible 50-point performance against the Warriors, who had one of the best defenses in the 2017-2018 season. He ended that season with a career-high 22.6 points, 5.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals.
30-, 40-, 50-point games--you name it. Lou Williams has had multiple of them. He and the Clippers even managed to steal two wins from the Warriors last playoffs, where they overcame a 31-point deficit in Game 2. A professional scorer and a great team player, it won't be a surprise if he eventually becomes a champion now that a new era with the Clippers has emerged.