Patrick Williams is going to be a dangerous defensive-stopper

by Bella Michaels

Photo Courtesy of Bleacher Report

I remember sitting on my couch on draft night, reaching over for another Oreo, as I heard NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announce that the Bulls selected Patrick Williams with their 4th pick.

My phone began buzzing with iMessages. Many Bulls fans were big mad and took to Twitter... but what’s new?

The Bulls picked a forward from Florida State University who never started for his team?

I was expecting Israeli forward Deni Avdija or Obi Toppin, but I wasn’t mad about the pick. I was intrigued.

Only two months into his rookie season, Williams is proving the doubters wrong, giving fans a reason to hope and wear their gear with pride again.

He’s currently third in minutes among rookies thus far, averaging 26.5 minutes per game. He’s averaging 10.3 points per game (sixth among rookies), 3.5 rebounds, 1 assists and 0.7 blocks. I know he’s not rookie of the year contender like his counterparts LaMelo Ball or James Wiseman, but he’s a breath of fresh air for the Bulls.

Within these last couple weeks, Billy Donovan put Williams up against the league’s top players: two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, four-time MVP LeBron James and two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

The games against James and Leonard both ended in tight losses, but Williams did a good job defending without double teaming help – which impressed his opponents.

“I think he is going to be an exceptional talent,” James said in a post-game press conference. “Long arms. He has Kawhi-type of hands that I noticed out on the floor so I knew I couldn’t play with the ball much… I think Chicago has a good one.”

Williams posted a career-high 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 3-of-5 from 3 against the Clippers on Sunday.

Kawhi was his favorite player growing up. Williams would watch his film and absorb everything he did from the mid-post. Defensively, he learned how to use his hands for steals and arms to get deflections.

At 19 years old, Williams is already becoming an elite two-way player… something we haven’t really seen on the Bulls since 2017 since we had Jimmy Butler.

While other rookies are focused on scoring points, Williams is on his way to becoming a big-time defensive stopper if he continues at this rate. He’s already fluid from mid and expanding to three-point range. Remember, he’s only two months into the league and came off the bench in college.

He was a great pick.