How much impact does a veteran bring to the locker room? Bucks head coach Doc Rivers is one of the most respected and experienced coaches in the NBA. Named among the league’s 15 greatest coaches of all time, he’s earned admiration from countless players and fans. Yet even under the guidance of such a revered leader, locker room tensions couldn’t be evaded. In one such instance of unrest, it was none other than one of Rivers’ biggest admirers who stepped in to defuse the situation.

At the time, the 3x Sixth Man of the Year was one of the most experienced voices on the team, who on numerous occasions calmed the tension between the players and the coach. It was during Rivers’ Clippers era, which spanned from 2013 to 2020. Former NBA player Wesley Johnson, who spent nearly a year with the Los Angeles Clippers, recalled that he often had issues to deal with “in the locker room with Doc.” During these times, it was his former teammate who stood by his side.

“It was a great time. He’s a legend, sixth man of the year. But teammate-wise, I mean, couldn’t ask for a better teammate. I mean, voice of reason? Voice of like calmness but playing alongside of  I mean it was probably the best I ever had,” he said on Run It Back. He is talking about Lou Williams. 

Williams has always had high praise for Doc Rivers. Despite a great coaching career, including winning the championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, Rivers has been criticized by some former players, while others, like Williams, speak of him very differently. Williams also talked about how the coach helped him have the best season during a time he thought would be his last stint in the league. He acknowledged the polarizing opinions around the coach, but said he had the best experience. 

“It’s a grey area with Doc. Either guys really love him, or they’ve got the worst sh*t in the world to say about Doc. That wasn’t my experience,” he said on The Underground Lounge. Williams even detailed one of the wildest experiments he had with the coach.

Sober or not, Lou Williams had to get into action

Late-night parties are nothing new amongst NBA players, as many big-name players are avid party lovers. Lou Williams was also one of them. But he got into big trouble because of it. One night, he stayed out too late, and unfortunately, he had an early game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

He decided to come clean to Doc Rivers about everything. What Rivers did next almost surprised Williams. Doc asked him to play despite his condition. Quite understandably, the coach couldn’t afford to lose an important player. 

“He looked me straight in my eyes and said, ‘You playin’ the whole second quarter, because I need you to sweat that s— out, because I’mma need you in the fourth quarter.’ I had 25 in the fourth,” he said on The Underground Lounge. Is this true? Well, during one of the Knicks vs the Los Angeles Clippers, he did score 29 points, but he had 15 in the fourth quarter. It’s unclear whether he was referring to this particular game.

Leaving that wild experience aside, Williams has always expressed appreciation for the coach’s support during that crucial time. “When I got here, I thought my career was done, so I wasn’t excited to be a Clipper. Doc reassured me. That ended up being the best run of my career,” he said.  Two of his Sixth Man of the Year awards came during his run with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he averaged 20+ points for 2 years. He had a great run even at the age o,f 30, which is indeed rare!

Sometimes that’s all you need: someone who believes in you and trusts your ability, even when you don’t. That means more than any Sixth Man of the Year award.