What exactly defines a bust? It is a highly touted prospect selected high in the draft but does not meet expectations. A player selected within the Top 5 is expected to make an immediate impact on the franchise. The caliber of players drafted after the mentioned prospect impacts the bust status. If several other better players are selected after your draft pick, then there’s further confirmation that the draft pick was a bust.

With the technical definition out of the way, Patrick Williams checks off all the boxes of a bust but does it in a far worse way than any other Top 5 pick selected by the Chicago Bulls. Patrick Williams is averaging 9.8 points per game this season compared to his career average of 9.4 points per game. His averages for rebounds and assists also match his career averages showing minimal improvement, if any.

Marcus Fizer and Jay Williams were the only other serious candidates competing for the biggest bust in Bulls history that were selected within the Top 5 and were expected to make a dramatic impact on the team. Let’s compare their first three seasons with the Bulls to Patrick Williams’ career.

Marcus Fizer vs. Patrick Williams

Like Williams, Marcus Fizer was selected fourth overall in the NBA draft. Unlike Patrick Williams, the picks that came after Fizer justified the selection as the 2000 draft class is considered the worst draft class in NBA history. Although Fizer never panned out to be the star to pull the Bulls out of the post-Jordan era, he still averaged 11.1 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists per game in his first three seasons.

Fizer held the title for the biggest bust in franchise history for over 20 years, but Patrick Williams steals the crown. Both players had the tools to be great, but Fizer played in the wrong era. He was an undersized forward in a big man’s league, which held him back. Patrick Williams has all the tools to be better than he displays, but like many other busts, his weak mentality gets in the way of his productivity.

Jay Williams vs. Patrick Williams

This isn’t a fair comparison for obvious reasons. Jay Williams was selected second overall in the 2002 NBA draft and put together an impressive rookie campaign, but his career was cut short due to an unfortunate motorcycle accident. In a way, Jay Williams could be the biggest bust in Bulls history since he wasn’t able to change the franchise as they hoped he would, but his career was cut short due to a freak accident, not because he was unable to produce on the court.

Bulls fans will always be left with a tough pill to swallow about what Jay Williams could’ve been if he was never hurt. He was considered a Chris Paul-caliber talent, but it’s hard to hold that against him in the bust debate. Therefore. Patrick Williams, who is healthy but produces as if he’s a second pick, takes the cake on the biggest bust in Bulls franchise history.