It’s no secret, the Bulls have had a lot of injuries this year. They’ve had different starters out for various reasons throughout this season. The longest-lasting injury occurred back in October when the season was just beginning. Bulls starting forward Patrick Williams went down with a wrist injury that required surgery just five games into the season. At the time everyone was unsure if Williams would see the court again this season or if it would be a season-ender. Here we are 5 months since the injury and Williams is ready to get back into action.
Bulls forward Patrick Williams has been assigned to Chicago’s Windy City G League affiliate and is targeting return to NBA action next week, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Key return to lineup coming. Williams has been out since October due to wrist surgery.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 17, 2022
Williams has been assigned to the Windy City Bulls to get himself back into game shape. Now that he’s been fully cleared for contact it’s just a matter of getting him back into shape. Not like he’s out of shape but getting back to actual game speed is a tough thing to do after being out as long as he has. Getting some time with the Windy City Bulls will be great for Williams. However, missing 5 months’ worth of basketball has everyone thinking what should we expect from Williams?
Keep your expectations low, at first
Williams is coming off a major surgery and wrist injury. He’s also only in his second year in the league and has missed most of it. It would be wise to keep expectations low as he gets back into the swing of things. Last season Williams averaged 9.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, & 1.4 APG. He was a solid and consistent piece for the Bulls a year ago. The biggest impact Williams made on the court was on the defensive side of the ball. He is a big body who can hold his own defensively. He also isn’t scared to guard anyone in the league. At a minimum, the expectation for Williams is he will make a difference defensively. When it comes to the offensive side of the ball we can give him time to improve that part of his game. Regardless don’t expect Williams to drastically change the Bulls at first.
Awesome to see that Pat will be coming back next week. But I’ve maintained that my expectations for him are going to be very low. Just really tough to miss so much time at this age and then be thrown into a playoff race and be good. But will be nice to have the bigger body.
— Jason Patt (@Bulls_Jay) March 17, 2022
He’s coming into the tail end of the season and won’t get a whole lot of action before the playoffs start. It’s unknown at this time whether head coach Billy Donovan will insert him back into the starting lineup but it’s safe to assume he will once the playoffs start. The Bulls certainly need everyone back and at full strength, if they want to make it in the playoffs and Williams is going to be the beginning of that process.
The Bulls still have a long way to go
At the start of this season, the Bulls had a completely different starting five than the previous season. After two big roster moves in the offseason, the Bulls had a brand new team. Unfortunately due to injuries, the Bulls have only played 4 full games with the new starting lineup. At this point, it’s very hard to know who this Bulls team is and what they can do. There’s one stat that’s been pushed around trying to show everyone who this Bulls team is.
The Bulls are 2-16 vs teams with a better record than them this season. pic.twitter.com/weYqTGNxFp
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 17, 2022
At face value, this looks bad. It makes the Bulls look like frauds. However, Bulls fans and people who pay attention to the NBA know the Bulls haven’t had a full team the entirety of the year. Even with the injuries, the Bulls have still remained a top team in the East. It’s hard to know exactly what the Bulls have but with the return of everyone ahead of the playoffs we may be able to see what they can do. Health has held this team back all season and hopefully, that will mean nothing but good health for the playoffs. Regardless the Bulls will be getting back Williams as early as next week and they will likely hope he can get back into form quickly.
Will Williams be ready for the road trip?
The Bulls kick off a stretch of five away games on March 22nd. If Williams is going to be hitting the court next week then he should be expected to make it on that trip.He could even return on the 21st when the Bulls play Toronto in Chicago. Regardless the Bulls would love to see Williams on that road trip as they face off against some tough competition. If this team wants to remain in a good position in the East then Williams will need to be available for that trip. His defensive presence is something this team will need as they face off against the Bucks, Cavaliers, & Pelicans. The Bulls are only 2 games ahead of the 6th & 7th place teams and half a game behind the 4th place team. They are in a position now where they could either drop to the play-in tournament or move up to safety. Williams returning for that key stretch of road games would be great for this team.
Whether Williams is there or not it will be smart to keep expectations low as Williams returns. If he can get back into shape and be ready for the playoffs then that’s good news for the Bulls. Along with the return of point guard Lonzo Ball this team could be in a great position.
