The 76ers re-signed guard Lou Williams, who I think is more talented than many people realize. I’m not positive he’ll ever be a really good starting point guard in the league, but at the very least he’ll be a terrific backup, and the way he seems to be progressing it’s quite possible he winds up a full-time starter in the future.
Here’s the news:
Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced Monday that the team has re-signed restricted free-agent guard Lou Williams. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“We are very excited that we have reached an agreement with Lou Williams,” Stefanski said. “He is not only a very talented player who exemplifies our up-tempo style of play, but he is also a young man who exhibits great character and qualities off-the-court, as well. We look forward to having him in a Sixers uniform for many years to come.”
“We’re happy that Lou is back, as he has proven to be an integral part of the team,” Head Coach Maurice Cheeks said. “He’s made great strides as a player and we’re very confident he’ll continue to excel with us for years to come.”
Originally the 45th overall pick by the Sixers in the 2005 NBA Draft, Williams (6-2, 175) has appeared in 171 games, averaging 7.2 points, 2.2 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. For his career, he has shot 42.9% from the floor, 34.7% from 3-point range and 75.7% from the line.
The 21-year-old enjoyed breakout success last season, averaging career-highs in scoring (11.5 ppg), assists (3.2 apg), rebounding (2.0 rpg) and steals (1.01 spg). Williams had the fifth highest point/rebound/assist total for any player coming off the bench last season and received votes for both the Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year awards. He scored the fourth most points of any reserve last season, had the second-most assists, tallied the most steals and recorded the third-most free throw attempts.
After hitting a total of 14 three-pointers in his first two seasons, Williams was second on the team with 55 3-point FGM in 2007-08 while shooting a team-high 35.9% from behind-the-arc. Williams was also the Sixers second leading scorer in fourth quarters last season, with 42.3% of his season point total coming in the fourth.
In the summer of 2007, Williams finished second in MVP voting at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and was also named to the All-Rocky Mountain Revue Team. He led both leagues in scoring, averaging a combined 24.7 points per game. In late November of 2006, Williams was assigned to the D-League for three games and averaged 26.0 points on 71.1% shooting from the floor and 62.5% shooting from 3-point range.
Williams attended South Gwinnett High School in Atlanta and was the winner of the 2005 Naismith Award, signifying the nation’s top high school player. He tallied 3,338 points during his career at South Gwinnett and was a four-time All-State selection as well as being named Mr. Basketball in Georgia his junior and senior seasons.
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