During last year’s trade deadline madness, the Chicago Bulls were in talks with the Detroit Pistons over the two-way swingman Jerami Grant. The deal never came to fruition, and many believe that was because of the Bulls’ unwillingness to deal the 2020 fourth overall draft selection Patrick Williams. Williams being only 20 years old and having played in just 88 career games; fans understood the reluctance from the Bulls’ front office. Seeing the aftermath, the failure to get this deal done has locked in a near future of mediocrity for the Windy City while Grant is flourishing elsewhere.
Patrick Williams Lack Of Development
Since entering the league in 2020, Patrick Williams has not evolved much on the court. From his rookie season to 20 games into the 2022 season, his field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, and steals have all decreased. His points have stayed constant at nine per game across the three seasons, and both his turnovers and fouls have increased in that time. Williams has fallen extremely short of expectations as a top-five pick in the draft. Only playing in 108 games in his young career has skated him from much responsibility for his poor performance thus far. With the likes of borderline all-stars Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, Desmond Bane, and Saddiq Bey all having been drafted after the Bulls’ selection, it leaves Chicago’s fanbase wondering what could have been.
The former Florida State Seminole small forward often referred to as “The Paw” or “Baby Kawhi”, Williams has yet to live up to that level of hype or production. There are a few noteworthy stats that are giving Bulls fans false hope and, in the minds of some, justify seeing his potential through to completion. He scored 20+ in two of his five career postseason games and also dropped a career-high 35 points in the highest usage game of his young career when the Bulls benched most of their starters for a regular-season finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The harsh reality is that both accolades are relatively meaningless. The 20+ point playoff performances came in games where the Milwaukee Bucks had gone up by 25+ points in each of the two, and starters on both sides were benched by then. The 35-point explosion at the end of last season would be promising if Williams were anywhere near the featured player on a nightly basis, but he’s at best the fourth or fifth-highest usage player on Chicago’s roster and needs to show he can be a more efficient scorer without the need for volume. Williams has only reached the 20-point mark three other times in his over 100 career games.
Jerami Grant Is Exactly What Bulls Are Missing
Chicago has shown two glaring problems in their poor start to the 2022-23′ season, three-point shooting and inside defense. This season, Grant is averaging nearly double the number of threes than Patrick Williams and is shooting them at a higher percentage, suitable for seventh best in the NBA. While the Portland Trail Blazers forward usage rate does favor his statistics, he’s averaging over double Williams’ points per game and more rebounds, assists, and blocks plus steals per contest. He’s also more efficient with his scoring, reaches the free throw line considerably more, and brings a taller frame that would elongate a small Bulls lineup defensively.
Grant is shooting a five percent better field goal percentage with three more points per game than last season, making a strong case for the Most Improved Player award, while Williams is losing value by the day. At only 28 years old, the former second-round selection out of Syracuse would still be a staple for the Bulls for years to come. His Player Efficiency Rating is also nearly seven points higher than Williams, and he would alleviate the slumps that stars Zach Lavine and Demar DeRozan are prone to going through for stretches of the season or playoffs.
The failure of the new front office led by Arturas Karnisovas to let go of their first draft pick Patrick Williams has cost the Bulls serious contention hopes. With the addition of an x-factor with defensive size, three-point shooting, and offensive efficiency, the 2022-23′ Bulls would be primed for a title run, and the 2021-22′ team would have certainly faired better than a 4-1 first-round exit. Instead, stuck with a borderline draft bust, the Chicago Bulls are anchored down by the limitations of a young, undeveloped wingman who is seemingly a longshot to peak at what a championship-aspiring team requires.
shades of the paxton gang
Yep, another case of a GM falling in love with and overvaluing his own draft pick.