L.A. Clippers guard Lou Williams was in the mood for some Q&A with his fans on Twitter last night. One of the questions that surfaced came from Twitter user @tommys54321, asking Williams which player or coach had the most impact on him.
With that, Sweet Lou credited his former coach Mo Cheeks for giving him his first NBA break back in 2008.
Mo cheeks gave me my first opportunity https://t.co/xQ4BWE8wHQ
— Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) August 31, 2019
Williams was never a highly-touted prospect when the entered the NBA in 2005. He arrived to the league as a scrawny 6-foot-1 guard straight from high school and was just a mid-second round selection by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2005 NBA draft.
After 14 years, Williams is now one of the most feared scorers in the game and has a record three Sixth Man of the Year awards attached to his resume. Not too shabby for someone that was overlooked 44 times during the draft.
Williams played sparingly in his rookie season, appearing in just 30 games and playing 4.8 minutes per contest. Following his forgettable, debut campaign, Philadelphia sent him to the NBA D-League in late November.
Williams played well in his short stint in the D-League and was called up to the main roster nearly a week later. With the Sixers trading then-franchise superstar Allen Iverson in December 2006, Williams had the chance to showcase himself, though he didn't get much burn in his sophomore season, either, averaging just 11 minutes through 61 games.
His third season, however, proved to be the turning point. Under coach Mo Cheeks, Williams had a breakout campaign with Philadelphia in the 2007-08 season. He averaged 11.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists across 23 minutes per game off the bench and helped lead Philadelphia to their first playoff appearance during the post-Iverson era.
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