Lou Williams (R) attempts to block a shot.
IN PHOTO: Apr 4, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) tries to take a shot past Toronto Raptors guards Lou Williams (23) and DeMar DeRozan (10) during the second half at Air Canada Centre.The Celtics won 117-116 in overtime. Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Raptors shooting guard Lou Williams has been selected as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year by the NBA. He is the first player ever in the Raptors history to win the award.

The Raptors got Williams in exchange for sending John Salmons to the Atlanta Hawks last offseason in July as part of a salary space clearing move made by the Hawks. He has provided consistently good offense coming off the bench for the Raptors, averaging 15.5 points in 80 games from the bench, a career high for the guard.

He won 78 of the 130 first place votes, beating Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas comfortably, who got 33 first place votes. Defending champion Jamal Crawford of the L.A Clippers had eight first place votes for third place.

Williams particularly helped the team’s offense when main starting guard DeMar DeRozan went down injured at the start of the season in December. He led the team for scoring in 18 games this season, the second highest by any reserve this season. He spent much of last year recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in January 2013, which led to his numbers dropping before he was traded by the Hawks for John Salmons, who was then waived.

"I didn't think I was going to be the same player [after ACL tear]. I knew I wasn't going to have the foot speed I once had, I knew I wasn't going to be able to jump as high. But it taught me to be smart and I worked on different parts of my game. Being able to evolve and change my game to win this award is very gratifying," Williams said to ESPN.

Isaiah Thomas ended up second to Williams. Thomas averaged 16.4 points in 67 games played off the bench for the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns. The C’s acquired him in a three way deal, dealing away Marcus Thornton and Tayshaun Prince and Cleveland’s first round pick in the 2016 draft. He was one of the biggest reasons the Celtics, lottery bound at one time, made the post-season instead.

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