Perhaps lost in the grand storylines of the Atlanta Hawks (27-30) 124-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers was Lou Williams inching that much closer to being the most prolific bench player in the history of the NBA. Williams appeared in his 984th game off of the pine which moves him into a tie with Dell Curry for the most in NBA history.
With their next game coming on Wednesday, we shouldn’t have to wait long to see Williams become the sole record-holder, though, he could get the benefit of a veteran rest day with an eye on utilizing the All-Star break for an extended rest.
Tuesday was just his second game active after a three-game absence and third appearance in the Hawks last seven games.
The Atlanta Hawks roster one of the NBA’s true gems in Lou Williams
Williams holds the start advantage over Curry too at 122 games to 99. Curry may have been the more efficient option but Williams, the former 15th pick in the second round of the 2005 draft, is tied with Jamaal Crawford with an NBA-record three Sixth Man of the Year awards to his credit compared to Curry’s sole nod in 1994.
The South Gwinnett alum has also been a 20-point scorer in multiple seasons while Curry maxed out at 16.3 points per game in that award-winning season. As for longevity, Williams has played just one more year which he has said will be his last.
The games milestone wasn’t the only one that Williams surpassed on Tuesday.
He also became the 14th active player, and just the 132nd player in NBA history, to score 15,500 career points.
𝗟𝗼𝘂 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. pic.twitter.com/SVVKK17Ywm
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) February 16, 2022
It hasn’t been the best season for the 17-year veteran. He’s averaging just 6.8 points, his fewest since 2007, his third year in the league. Williams is also shooting a career-worst 39.4 percent from the floor and sporting a 45.7 effective field goal percentage; the second-worst mark of his career.
Even with that, there have been moments when he’s come through with big buckets. And, if the Hawks do make it back into the postseason this year, they will certainly need him to do so once again.
Williams averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.5 boards when Young went down during last year’s playoffs dropping 21 points and eight assists in Game 4 versus the Milwaukee Bucks.
For what it’s worth, Williams also has a better plus-minus than De’Andre Hunter as well as a better defensive rating than the entire starting lineup and Danilo Gallinari who has turned back the clock lately.