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.
The Sixers, coming off a 2005 playoff performance, only had a second-round pick, and they selected Lou Williams out of South Gwinnett High School in Georgia. He was expected to learn from Allen Iverson and Chris Webber and eventually help them lead the Sixers to success at that time.
After not playing much as a rookie, he gradually earned more playing time in his second season, especially after the trade of Iverson to the Denver Nuggets. He eventually evolved into one of the NBA’s best sixth men. Williams averaged 11.5 points off the bench during the 2012 playoffs when the eighth-seeded Sixers stunned the Chicago Bulls in the first round. They pushed the heavily favored Boston Celtics to Game 7 in the conference semifinals.
He had a big moment in Game 4 against the Miami Heat in 2011 with a game-winner to avoid the sweep.
He averaged 11.3 points and 3.0 assists in his seven seasons in Philadelphia before he joined the Atlanta Hawks in the 2012 offseason. He then won the first of his three 6th Man of the Year awards in 2015 as a member of the Toronto Raptors before then bouncing around with the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and finishing back up with the Hawks in 2022.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Philadelphia 76ers draft rewind: Lou Williams becomes a steal in 2005