Lou 'would love to share' 6th Man with Clippers teammate Harrell

Lou Williams has a strong opportunity to win an NBA-record fourth-career Sixth Man of the Year Award. The 33-year-old Los Angeles Clippers guard has put up 18.7 points with a career-best 5.7 assists in 29 minutes per game this season.

However, Williams thinks there's another player equally deserving of the honor: his Clippers teammate and frequent on-court partner Montrezl Harrell.

"We've sacrificed and still been able to be successful," Williams said Wednesday, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "I feel like we both deserve it. I really would love to share that award with Trez, and if not share it, I say give it to him outright."

Harrell, who has come off the bench in all but two of his 63 games this season, averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per contest. The 26-year-old finished third in Sixth Man voting in 2018-19, trailing Williams and Indiana Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis.

Williams and Harrell have continued to be kindred spirits on the court this season. The pair ranks first among all Clippers players with 1,388 minutes of playing time together, surpassing the team's second most-played duo (Harrell and JaMychal Green) by over 400 minutes. The team has outscored opponents by 5.3 points per 100 possessions with Williams and Harrell on the court.

Both players' candidacy for the award is apparently locked in, as the NBA has reportedly decided that only games played prior to the suspension of the season in mid-March will count toward the award races.

Williams has won the Sixth Man of Year Award as a member of the Toronto Raptors in 2014-15 and in each of the past two campaigns with the Clippers. He would break his tie with fellow three-time winner Jamal Crawford if he claims the award this season, and he'd become the first player to win it in three consecutive campaigns.