The 10-year guard was officially signed by the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, per Lakers.com. His presence will bring instant offense to a team that averaged just 98.5 points per game during its 21-61 season.
He is, after all, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, collecting the honor after a stellar season with the Toronto Raptors.
But how will a ball-happy shooter who’s generously listed at 6’1” fit into a backcourt that includes uber-legend Kobe Bryant, No. 2 draft pick D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson, the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection?
The simplest solution is to move Bryant to small forward for a meaningful number of minutes. It will save wear and tear on those aged and battered legs and will also put Mamba into sweet spots on the wing, where he can execute his patented pump-fake fall-away jumpers.
This is by no means a novel idea—Bryant has dabbled on the wing throughout his career, including 32 percent of his playing time during the 2012-13 season.
As Forum Blue and Gold’s Darius Soriano writes, that will open up the shooting guard option off the bench for the 28-year-old Williams:
He will likely be the team’s 3rd guard, playing next to Russell and Clarkson whenever one of them is on the bench. Lou can work on or off the ball and should allow for both Russell and Clarkson to lead possessions as the PG, but also move away from the action either off-screens or as a secondary handler when the ball gets swung to them in spot up situations.
This will also create opportunities for Williams and Bryant to spend time on the floor together. During an interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, Williams expressed...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
