It’s official the Bulls have selected Florida State Forward Patrick Williams with the 4th overall pick. It was rumored throughout the week that the Bulls were high on Williams and now he is officially a Chicago Bull.
With the No. 4 pick, the Bulls select Patrick Williams ♨️ @brhoops pic.twitter.com/MVhVYeFoDn
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 19, 2020
Williams wasn’t one of the big names heading into this draft but gained traction as we got closer to the draft. Williams won Sixth Man Of The year this previous season with Florida State and has a ton of upside. This pick seems to have come as a surprise to a lot of Bulls fans and even some in the media.
I have no idea who Patrick Williams is. Haven't watched one second of him playing basketball.
But
I trust Arturas Karnisovas. He knows what he is doing.
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) November 19, 2020
Breaking down Patrick Williams stats
In his time at Florida State Williams played in 29 games. He didn’t start any of the 29 games that he appeared in but he made an impact coming off the bench. He averaged 22.5 minutes per game coming off the bench. While on the court he averaged 9.2 PPG, 45.9 FG%, 4.0 RPG, & 1 APG. His stats aren’t eye-popping and that’s why he was overlooked by many ahead of this draft. However, Williams is listed at 6’8″ and 225 lbs. He’s a freakish athlete with a ton of upside. He is one of the most explosive athletes in this draft. He had the 4th most minutes of any player on the Seminoles last year even though he came off the bench. Don’t let his stats fool you, they don’t tell the full story of the athlete that he is.
Defensive Versatility
Patrick’s defensive versatility is a key reason why the Bulls drafted him. Williams has the size and strength to guard small forwards, power forwards, and centers. He can hold his own on the court and doesn’t fear facing players of size. His defense is solid and he can switch from player to player. The Bulls desperately needed help on the defensive end of the floor and Williams will provide that. There will certainly be areas that need to be worked on with his defensive game. But he already has the size and strength to hold his own.
Weaknesses and question marks
The sample size for Williams is small with only having 29 games of college action. There are a lot of what-ifs that come with him. What will his ceiling be as a scorer? Can he rise to the challenge and be more than just a role player? At times Williams let the game come to him instead of being aggressive. He also would take contested shots at times instead of working to get a better shot. His overall offensive playmaking needs work to better utilize his size. His offensive ceiling is certainly a question mark but he’s got the size and athleticism to be great. He is absolutely going to be a developmental piece for this Bulls team.
How will he fit with the Bulls?
Williams will find himself coming off the bench for this Bulls team filling in for Forwards Otto Porter Jr. and Lauri Markkanen. This will be a good way to ease Williams into the play style of the NBA. He showed how well he can perform coming off the bench for Florida State and now he will get that chance for the Bulls. The Bulls needed more depth at the forward position and this gives them exactly that. Yes, his stats from college aren’t that impressive but that doesn’t mean he won’t be an impressive NBA player. He’s a freakish athlete who has a ton of room to grow. He’s only 19 years old and he can be developed into a great player.
With this Bulls team, it will be interesting to see how he fits. The Bulls are going into their first year under head coach Billy Donovan.
The playstyle of the team is going to change from the previous years. As the entire team changes, this will give Williams a chance to find where he fits. Look for him to come primarily off the bench for this team barring injuries. He isn’t going to come in and shoot lights out or take over offensively. He’s going to be someone the Bulls develop.
Patrick Williams is arguably the most high-upside talent in this draft. He has elite positional size and the skillset to become a powerful two-way player.
As the youngest player in this class, he has a lot of room to grow. Perfect guy for a new player development staff, eh?
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 19, 2020
Was it the right pick?
This draft is a mystery across the board. Every single player in this year’s class has a question mark attached to them. So the Bulls taking a chance on Williams at #4 was the right thing to do. There’s never a sure draft pick and this draft was especially difficult. It wasn’t the sexy pick but it was a pick that this coaching staff clearly believes in. The Bulls made this pick because they believe they can develop him. We won’t know if this was the right pick until we get into this season.
At the end of the day, we need to trust that Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley made the right call when it comes to Williams. This shows that the front office is trusting the coaching staff. Clearly, Donovan wanted Williams and they gave him the freedom to get him. The Bulls added depth to a position of need and they now have a great athlete in Williams. It’s up to the coaching staff to develop him into a stud at the NBA level.
