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The Chicago Bulls drafted Florida State’s Patrick Williams, and to say there were mixed reviews from fans would be an understatement. Williams has the look of a do-it-all combo-forward whose size (6’8″ 225 pounds), athleticism, and defensive prowess will make him a glue guy at worst and a potentially special talent at best.
However, he’s the second-youngest player in the draft. He wasn’t the most popular name and quite frankly, most casual basketball fans hadn’t heard of him before Wednesday night. That’s a recipe for an influx of knee-jerk reactions and Bulls Twitter had no shortage of it throughout the night and into the morning.
At least one analyst begs to differ, or at the very least, strongly advises Bulls Nation to pump their breaks on any hasty negative decisions. First, let’s take a look at the misinformed slander.
Negative Twitter Reaction to Patrick Williams Selection
The memes, gifs, and off-the-cuff comments were aplenty. Here are a few of them:
I try not to post my own tweets here, but I can’t help myself this time as I believe it’s important to point out these ridiculous assessments from non-experts.
David Kaplan: “F’ing Relax”
ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan, a long-time hoops analyst shared a similar sentiment, but he wasn’t as nice about with his message to those who are being prematurely critical of the Williams selection.
The fact is, we’re all in a wait-and-see mode with Williams. The tape looks pretty impressive, but some are bogged down with the fact that he wasn’t a starter and averaged less than 10 points per game. Most of them don’t understand the dynamics of the Florida State system, nor do they realize that’s not an indictment on Williams’ talent, and it certainly doesn’t dictate his ceiling.
Realistic Player Comparisons
As I’ve watched video of him on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, I’m getting a feel for his talent, and I must say I’m more impressed with each passing minute. Williams has excellent core strength, which allows him to hold his ground in the post.
He’s also quick and agile n the open floor and as a defender. This is why he projects as a player who can defend four positions, or possibly five. That ability gives Williams a very acceptable floor projection. If he doesn’t get hurt, which is always a concern with any player, I can easily see him as an OG Anunoby-style player. Their build and athleticism levels are similar.
On the top end of his player-comp is Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard. People tend to forget Leonard was the 15th pick overall back in 2011. He was purely a defender/slasher who couldn’t shoot from distance.
He had the same kind of quiet demeanor that seemingly endeared Williams to the Bulls and other teams who reportedly shown interest in drafting him. I’m not saying Williams is going to turn into Leonard, but I am saying, the complete story of a prospect isn’t told on draft day.
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