Raptors Cage

Masai letting Lou Williams walk was best for the Raptors

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If you missed it, Lou Williams is headed to the Los Angeles Lakers, who will now field a three-headed chucking demon of Lou, Kobe Bryant, and Nick Young. 

https://instagram.com/p/4xRpvnsqF7/

The Toronto Raptors and Masai Ujiri understood that letting Lou go was absolutely necessary. The Raps did not even negotiate with Lou or offer him a contract – and this is an absolute blessing, despite the fact that the man won 6th man of the year.

I’m not saying that the contract Lou got was unreasonable, or that he doesn’t have value when he’s used in contained situations. However, the play style Lou brings to the table ruined the Raptors last season. The Raps relied on him offensively as their 3rd option, and his iso-heavy chucking was inconsistent. This inconsistency translated to a chucking heavy, inconsistent offense, which lead to the Raps having low assist numbers. His terrible defense didn’t help things either.

Him and Vasquez being gone will change things significantly. Defensively, you are much better. You rid yourself of a black hole who commands the ball to be effective – Lou literally has no other use. It’s not a coincidence that the ball stuck when Lou joined the Raps. It was just masked due to the hot streaks experienced by him, DeRozan, and Lowry.

For the believers, quick question – when was the last time a chucker like Lou was the 3rd option on a successful team? Exactly. Yes, you can argue that Dwane Casey was to blame as well for giving Lou the free reign. Making him such a fundamental part of the offense is why he won the 6th man of the year. It’s also why it was such a problem. Using him in a contained environment might have worked – just not for this Raptors system.

So yes, Lou leaving is probably the best thing that happened this offseason.

Thanks for bringing us the 6th man award, and the memories. I won’t miss the iso’s Lou buzzer beater attempts, or anything else really.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeEhfWghFOQ

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