Getty Patrick Williams
The Chicago Bulls got some bad news about Patrick Williams. The 20-year-old forward suffered a severely sprained ankle and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Injury Updates:
Coby White (shoulder) has made steady progress over the past 4 months, is anticipated to make a full return in Nov.
Patrick Williams sustained a severe left ankle sprain during an optional individual workout, is anticipated to make a full return in 4-to-6 weeks.
The Bulls’ official Twitter account shared the information on Friday, but left out a pretty important detail. Per NBC Sports Chicago’s Rob Schaefer, Williams’ injury happened on September 15, which is essentially a week and a half before the announcement was made.
While Williams will still miss most of training camp and some of the preseason, the potential return now means Williams shouldn’t have to miss the season opener.
Some took exception to the Bulls’ omitting this detail.
Bulls Criticized For Not Sharing Date of Patrick Williams’ Injury
Forbes’ Jason Patt took the Bulls to task for not sharing the timetable was retroactive to September 15.
Patt tweeted:
There is no rule that says the Bulls have to disclose these details about Williams” injury. In fact, the team didn’t even have to post this info on social media in any capacity. There is no official injury report protocol at this point of the year that Chicago has to adhere to, so this was something the team shared on its own.
That said, if the team was going to share, it might have been a nice thing to tell fans who were a bit up in arms after learning of Williams’ injury. While not ideal, the hope is that Williams will be a full go when the Bulls kick off the season against the Detroit Pistons. Perhaps more importantly, Williams needs time to gel with his new teammates.
I’m sure he’s been working out with many of them, but that’s not as effective as doing it in a structured setting with the Bulls’ coaches present and implementing their offensive and defensive system.
What’s Up With Coby White?
The news on Coby White was a little better. He is still apparently expected to be out until November, but is expected to make a full recovery.
One question facing the Bulls while White is out is who will lead the offense in his absence? You’d think the newly acquired Alex Caruso would be the starting point guard, but he’s never been much of a facilitator.
You have to wonder if rookie Ayo Dosunmu or second-year player Devon Dotson might get that opportunity. It’s going to be interesting to watch this develop during the preseason while White is sidelined. As for Williams, it doesn’t seem like he’ll miss regular season games, but if he is slowed or limited, a door should be opened for Alize Johnson to play some significant minutes. Guys like Stanley Johnson could fall into that spot. Also, don’t rule out a veteran pickup between now and the start of the season if it starts to look as though Williams could be compromised closer to six weeks.
The Bulls cannot afford to get off to a slow start as they need to be viable heading into the trade deadline. There are too many potential decisions hinging on how many wins they have accumulated by that time.
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