Patrick Williams, a forward for the Chicago Bulls, entered the season with great expectations after participating in all 82 regular season games in his third year in the league. But Williams’ fourth season didn’t go as planned after he had a foot injury that ended the season in late January.
Williams plans to get foot surgery in the first part of March and expects to be back on the court in four months to get ready for the upcoming campaign. The 2020 NBA Draft’s fourth overall selection, though, couldn’t help but wonder what may have been.
It’s reasonable to assume at this point that Williams won’t turn out to be the superstar the Bulls anticipated when they selected him in 2020. With 9.7 points and 4.2 rebounds on his career average, Williams projects himself as an athletic “3-and-D” player in the future. That doesn’t mean, though, that he can’t keep improving and end up being an important player for the Bulls.
Williams has had glimmers of being a versatile defender, able to guard a variety of spots on the court thanks to his long arms and athleticism. In addition, he has a respectable three-point shooting percentage (39%) this season.
Williams has the potential to do better, and he has demonstrated that he is willing to work hard. But only time will tell if the offseason work he puts in will enable him to take the critical step that the team and supporters have been waiting for.
“I firmly believe that was a step towards realizing my identity as a player, incorporating every aspect of my game,” Williams remarked.
“I firmly believe that there were one or two more steps I could have taken during this season. I was very happy to return this season for that reason.
