Lou Williams was named as the 2017-18 Sixth Man of the Year at Monday night's NBA Awards.This is the second time the veteran has picked up the honour in his career and it wasn't even close.He won it at a landslide after receiving 97 first-place votes out of the 101 cast by select media members.In second was Houston Rockets guard and last year's winner Eric Gordon (3 first place votes), followed by Fred Van Vleet, Will Barton, and Wayne Ellington who all received one vote each.

Obvious choice

The result came as no surprise as Williams enjoyed a terrific career year for the Los Angeles Clippers.

He led the NBA in bench scoring this season with 21.9 points, which is the most in a single season since 1989-90.

With Chris Paul leaving last summer and the team trading Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons midway through the season, the 31-year-old was given more responsibility offensively and he delivered.

He averaged a career-high 22.6 points and 5.3 assists per game and almost carried the Clippers for much of the campaign, putting them in playoff contention before falling short towards the end of the year.

Largely thanks to the performances of the veteran, LA finished with a winning record of 42-40 despite losing two All-Stars.

Reward

The shooting guard was set to hit free agency this summer but the Clippers recognised his importance to the team and signed him up to an extension in February.

He agreed a three-year, $24 million deal and it sees him finally settle down and secure a long contract with one team after bouncing around the league in trades in recent years.

His displays during the campaign certainly merited it as he became a real fans' favourite at Staples Center.

Williams produced 17 games of 30 points or more and four games of 40 or more points.

He also put on an iconic performance against the Golden State Warriors where he posted 50 points on the road in a shock win against the defending champions.

The man they call 'Sweet Lou' simply had a season to remember in his 13th year in the league.

"I want to thank the Clippers organisation for giving me a chance to be myself, allowing me to go out on the floor and do my thing," he said in his acceptance speech.

With his future in Los Angeles locked down, Williams will once again be the focal point of the Clippers offence in the 2018-19 campaign.

CLICK HERE to listen to Episode Two of the new GiveMeSport NBA podcast, featuring New York Times senior writer Marc Stein. Subscribe for all future episodes.