Will Patrick Williams Live Up To The 4th Overall Pick?
The Chicago Bulls have done a wonderful job turning around the franchise from the abyss it was in just three short years ago. After the hiring of Arturas Karnisovas in April 2020, many fans were excited about his vision for the Bulls team.
And it all started with the 2020 draft, in which the Bulls drafted Patrick Williams as the fourth overall selection. Williams had all the potential to be a great player coming out of Florida State University. Standing at 6’7 with a wing span of 7 feet, many people compared him to Kawhi Leonard due to their similar builds.
At this point, that’s where the comparison ends. Williams has not been able to progress through his first couple of seasons in the NBA quite as Leonard has. Williams has actually been going in the opposite direction.
Since entering the league in 2020, all of his major statistical categories have gone down. His points per game in the Bull’s four games this season is a lowly 4.2. Less than half of what he averaged in his rookie season. The Bulls were expecting a big jump out of Williams this season. So far he has not lived up to the part, forcing Billy Donovan to use his bench early in often.
Patrick Williams doesn't have an assist yet this season… pic.twitter.com/AUHVlytHhI
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) October 24, 2022
Although he has started all four games this season, Williams’ minutes have gone down heavily from last season, dropping from 24.7 to 20.8 minutes per game according to BasketballReference.com.
Donovan sampled Patrick Williams coming off the bench during the preseason. It seems that might have to be the direction the Bulls go, especially if Derrick Jones Jr. and Javonte Green can continue to give them solid minutes.
To be fair to Patrick Williams, he has only played in 91 total games in his three-year career due to a handful of injuries, which is an entirely different problem for another day. I pull that stat out to say he essentially just finished his rookie season, meaning he still can develop into that player that many Bulls fans, including myself expect him to be.
But it is getting to that point where he needs to make some real progress and bring good minutes to the floor if the Bulls want to be contenders in a highly competitive Eastern Conference.
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