Sixers draft history: Lou Williams taken with the No. 45 pick in 2005
Sixers draft history: Lou Williams taken with the No. 45 pick in 2005
With the NBA draft right around the corner, now is the time to look at some past drafts and see what the Philadelphia 76ers have done in their history. The Sixers have selected some big-time players in the past who have become an important part of the fabric of the franchise's history.
This series continues with the 2005 NBA draft. The Sixers did not have a selection until Round 2 and with the 45th pick of the draft, they selected a spunky guard out of South Gwinnett High School in Georgia in the form of Lou Williams.
His rookie season wasn't anything special as he played only 30 games, but he really came on in his third year in the league in the 2007-08 season. He played 81 games and averaged 11.5 points and 3.2 assists off the bench while helping Philadelphia make a surprise run to the playoffs before falling in six games to the Detroit Pistons.
Williams helped the Sixers make the playoffs in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012. In the 2011 playoffs, he drilled a game winner in Game 4 against the Miami Heat to help the Sixers avoid a sweep.
In the 2012 offseason, Williams signed with the Atlanta Hawks in free agency. He played two seasons in Atlanta before being traded to the Toronto Raptors which led to his first 6th Man of the Year season. Overall, he spent 17 seasons in the league playing for the Sixers, Hawks, Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers. He won three 6th Man of the Year awards (2014 with the Raptors and 2018 and 2019 with the Clippers).
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