The Bulls Shake Up the Draft With The 4th Pick
Many Bulls fans are probably thinking, “Why did the Bulls just draft Patrick Williams with the fourth overall pick?” Before we all get emotional about who we think they should have picked, let’s be rational and think through why the Bulls may have selected him.
Williams has NBA veteran-level size as a 19-year-old rookie at 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, so he can use that size to body and defend modern NBA forwards, especially in the paint. On top of that, he adds great versatility being able to also guard around the perimeter. Williams averaged 1.0 steal and 1.0 block a game, which is incredible, especially noticing that he only played 22.5 minutes a game as a freshman coming off the bench on a very deep Florida State team. For his freshman season, Williams averaged 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist a game.
The freshman forward from Florida State also is a freakish athlete with a lot of raw ability. Williams has an excellent habit of reading the passing lanes and blocking shots in the paint by helping from the weak side and won’t have any problems guarding forwards. As a tenacious offensive rebounder and slasher, he will be able to get buckets in the paint without having the ball in his hands a lot. Williams will provide wing depth on a team that has struggled to stay healthy with Otto Porter Jr., Denzel Valentine, and Chandler Hutchison all facing severe injuries in the past with the Bulls.
However, Williams does have a lot of room for growth and development. He easily can create his own shot as he is skilled at shooting off the dribble with a high release point but his shooting release is tortoise-like slow from 3-point range and he doesn’t get much lift off the ground in catch-and-shoot situations, often causing him to get ran off the line. He shot a mere 32 percent from 3 and only attempted 50 3-pointers his entire freshman season. Shooting is a skill that can be taught, so expect the Bulls to be working overtime on enhancing this skill set. These are only some areas he will need to work and he might just have to adjust his form entirely. Also, despite being a great defender, he has a tough time guarding smaller quick guards and usually will get beat after one or two moves.
Furthermore, Williams’ versatility is his greatest asset, so expect the Bulls to use him as a wing stopper and in a plethora of other ways. Williams can play as a power forward in line ups where the Bulls want to go small, and he is also not timid on the court and will push the ball in the fast-break situations is willing to be a playmaker in transition.
When asked about his age (being the second-youngest player in the draft) and his limited playing time by Malika Andrews from ESPN after getting drafted, Patrick mentioned that the work that he puts in will give him the confidence to play at the next level.
Let’s be real: Many of us wanted to see the Bulls select someone that they could plug in right away, but we still have to keep in consideration that Porter is entering a contract year where he will be paid around $28 million. So it is pretty much a must that he will play and start given his health is not in question. Although Williams isn’t who we all expected to be drafted, he still brings qualities and characteristics that the Bulls desperately need and has high upside.
