Getty Patrick Williams shoots a layup while being defended by Anthony Davis in a January 23 game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
When the Chicago Bulls drafted Patrick Williams last year, a tidbit of information that circulated was the fact that he had never started a game during his one year at Florida State. But it ultimately didn’t matter.
Williams became an NBA starter in his rookie season and maintained that position. In fact, Williams is one of three Bulls who started every game he played in this season — the other two being All-Stars Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević.
Now, with the Bulls now in the offseason, Williams is determined to be associated with even bigger names in the league.
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Betting on Himself
During an end-of-the-season press conference, Williams not only expressed lofty ambitions for his NBA career but also noted the confidence he has for such:
Pat Williams: “I want to be known as one of the greats in this league. I have all the tools I need to do that…I have everything on my side, it’s up to me to put the work in each and every day and focus in on the goal at hand. I can be as good as I wanna be.”
Williams has proven to be a humble, team-first player who rarely showed emotion. So for him to explicitly detail his high aspirations is a change of pace — though not in a bad way. The Athletic even named Williams as the Bulls’ “encouraging player from this season.”
The rookie has primarily made a name for himself in the NBA so far due to his defensive prowess. This season, he was tasked with guarding many of the league’s best players — including but not limited to Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo — and held his own well enough.
Offensively, however, Williams made less of an impact. Beyond a solid midrange jumper and an improved and more confident 3-point shot, the rookie didn’t offer much as a scorer despite often showing potential to be an effective two-way player.
Williams would sometimes throw down dunks, attack the basket and get to the free throw line. But these weren’t things he provided on a consistent basis. Head coach Billy Donovan and Williams’ teammates, including veteran big man Thaddeus Young, are among those who had continually pushed Williams to play more aggressively.
Williams Has Work to Do
Williams showed off a more well-rounded game as the season came to a close, giving another glimpse of what the Bulls can come to expect from him.
In the Bulls’ penultimate game of the season, a 105-91 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Williams had a breakout game, scoring a game- and career-high 24 points while also having to defend Kevin Durant.
A career-high game for Patrick Williams.
24 points | 9-14 FG | 3 threes | 6 reb | 2 stl
Potential is a word that has been used in tandem with Williams’ name throughout the season. But passive play often prevented him from capitalizing on that potential and having more games like the 24-point game he recently had.
In 71 games, Williams posted averages of 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 39.1 percent on 3-pointers.
His rookie numbers, albeit respectable, are proof he still has plenty of work to do — especially if he wants to be one of the NBA’s best players. And he knows it.
During the press conference, Williams pointed out the improvements he needs to make as a 3-point shooter. He specifically detailed how head coach Billy Donovan has told him that he needs to check for opportunities before giving up the ball. Williams also spoke well of his talent, size, athleticism, and strength but mentioned that bettering the mental aspect of the game is what will allow him to be the best player he can be.
Time for Learning
With last year’s NBA draft happening in November while the season began in late December, the 2020 rookie class had little time to prepare for or adjust to life as an NBA player. It was a learn-as-you-go situation, especially given the little time open in the schedule for practices. So Williams quickly went from training camp to starting in the NBA — not to mention having to play more games in one season than ever before.
When speaking to the media during his end-of-the-season press conference, executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas recognized just how much Williams had to do during his rookie season. But given how well Williams handled his transition to the NBA, Karnišovas also expressed confidence in how the rookie can improve during the offseason.
“I think the sky is the limit for him,” Karnišovas said of Williams. “He’s going to have a summer for the first time. He knows again what he needs to work on. I’m looking forward to seeing his growth. He came in a situation where winning is important besides the development piece. All that pressure he was facing this year I think will benefit him.”
With there being an actual offseason this year, Williams will have a chance to work on his 3-point shooting and more. He will have a chance to play in Summer League, getting more time to develop his skills in a competitive setting. He even has an open invitation to join LaVine for his offseason workouts. Training alongside an All-Star won’t turn Williams into one of the league’s best, but it could help him get there.
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