When the Lakers added Lou Williams, there were obviously high expectations. Early on in the season, his acquisition hardly made any impact, but that all changed on Friday.

Williams exploded for 44 points against the Thunder, but his efforts went down the drain. The Lakers lost yet again despite that big scoring splurge, 117-113.

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His performance is a big confidence booster, though it would have been sweeter had the Lakers at least won. Woeful as Los Angeles may be this season, the 2015 NBA Sixth Man of the Year could use the performance as a stepping stone to provide more firepower for the embattled team.

“I was just making shots,” Williams said via Sport Illustrated. "Down the stretch, I made one, I made two, get some free throws. Things kind of snowballed from there. My approach was the same as it always is."

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Part of his outstanding individual effort came from the free throw line. Apparently his uncanny ability of drawing fouls played a key part in the performance, a talent that Kobe Bryant considers exeptional.

"He can create contact from anything. It's unbelievable. He gets three or four of those a game going left. It's crazy," Bryant said via ESPN.

Realistically, however, Williams can pour in the same volume of buckets, but it won't matter if the Lakers continue to spiral. In short, Williams (and maybe Bryant) can't be the only ones making a difference.

Williams signed a three-year deal with Los Angeles worth around $21 million, so unless the Lakers have any trade plans involving him, the 29-year-old guard could be another vital piece for the team moving forward.

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