Okay, I’ll Bite … Let’s Discuss the NBA Comps for Patrick Williams (And Other Bulls Bullets)

Screw the draft, it’s free agency time! Players will be on the move starting tonight at 5:00 p.m. CT, but I wouldn’t expect much noise coming out of Chicago. Why?

Read this:

And, now, read this …

•   We really should approach NBA draft prospects like we do a new movie. Other than watching a trailer or two, we head to the theater (or, in today’s case, our couch) with little knowledge and few expectations. Sure, we all hope what we’re about to see is entertaining, but it’s not like we go into the viewing experience trying to set a bar. I mean, how often do we say things like, “this film is going to be the next Goodfellas” or “this movie’s ceiling is probably Toy Story, but it has a very real opportunity to enter Shrek The Third territory without the right supporting cast.” We enter a new film pretty blind and hope for the best. Why can’t we do that with incoming rookies?

•   I know we have college film and highlight packages that introduce us to these players, but that’s nothing more than a trailer. The point I’m trying to make is pretty obvious, we have to watch things play out to get a real feel for how special a young NBA player can be. Trying to compare the Bulls newest lottery pick, Patrick Williams, to a single player right now probably isn’t all that fair. Not to mention, the comparisons I’ve seen for him over the court of the past couple of days are pretty across the board: Jeff Green, Marvin Williams, a worse Kawhi Leonard, PJ Tucker, Paul Millsap, a more athletic Taj Gibson, Danilo Gallinari.

•   But, with all that said, I’ll bite. While I may not love making these comparisons, I understand the appeal. Patrick Williams is probably closest to the Raptors OG Anunoby, in my opinion. Anunoby is a tad smaller and probably has better ball-handling (but it’s truly hard to say because Arturas Karnisovas actually said that area of Williams’ game is better than expected). The two share similar defensive qualities thanks to their length and frame. I expect Williams to be the same kind of versatile defender as Anunoby. Additionally, both will have entered the league with a rather confusing offensive future. Each is a bit clunky and stiff. There honestly might be more promise around Williams’ offensive capabilities, though. He comes into the league with arguably the better jump and much better free-throw percentage. He also happens to be far more naturally athletic than Aununoby. Another comparison I could get behind is some kind of weird combo of Brandon Clarke and Tobias Harris. Williams could have Clarke’s “freakish” athleticism, defensive IQ, and rim-running skills. And while he will probably not be the type of scorer Harris is, he does play a similarly methodical game on that end of the floor, in my opinion.

•   The Bulls signed Kansas guard Devon Dotson immediately after the draft came to a close on Wednesday night, and I think it’s safe to say he is feeling pretty hyped.

•   I wrote in our initial post about him, but I’ll say it again: This kid should have been drafted. He certainly has a game that should be tested out at the NBA level, and it never hurts to add a guy who comes straight from a winning program. The expectation is that he will be on a two-way contract, so we should be able to see him play a big role in the G-League.

•   I LIKE WHAT I’M SEEING …

•   Aw, look at these two buddies. I’m so excited to watch Coby White and Williams share the court. These two in transition could put together plenty of highlights.

https://twitter.com/TheJLClassic/status/1329844716179959810?s=20

•   You think Zach LaVine is ready for the season.

 

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A post shared by Zach LaVine (@zachlavine8)

•   Here is why I do (and also don’t) love Patrick Williams:

written by

Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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