NEWSLETTER
Excuse me, where do I file a complaint?
Only four months into his NBA career and Patrick Williams has experienced his first snub.
The NBA announced rosters for the 2020-21 Rising Stars Game – a game that will not actually be held this season due to the ongoing pandemic – and the Bulls No. 4-overall pick apparently missed the mark.
Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and LaMelo Ball headline NBA Rising Stars selections for 2020-21 season, as revealed on Top Shot. Rosters here: pic.twitter.com/fwmhlz3DX8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 3, 2021
The rookie has started all 32 games he has appeared in this season and has averaged 10.1 points on 46.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent shooting from downtown. He has also recorded the 4th-most rebounds among rookies and 4th-most blocks thus far. I know the numbers may not be too eye-popping, but there is no denying that Williams has had one of the smoothest transitions into the NBA, which is remarkably impressive when we consider he was the youngest NCAA prospect drafted in 2020.
Not to mention, the box score doesn’t represent some of the truly impressive defensive flashes he’s shown throughout the season. The six-foot-seven forward has been tasked with guarding some of the most elite players in the league, including LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic. And it has not been just the willingness to play this role that has made Williams feel special, but also his early-execution.
James and Leonard both praised him earlier this season for his talent and defensive impact.
The No. 1-3 picks were all selected to be apart of the USA Rising Stars roster, as well as No. 12 pick Tyrese Haliburton. I’ll admit, it would have been tough to replace any of those three players with Williams, and the same can probably be said for the second-year players featured on this list as well. I think perhaps removing Keldon Johnson or the injured De’Andre Hunter could have been one way to squeeze him in there.
I should also point out that Coby White was technically eligible for a Rising Stars bid too, but he has struggled to find his footing this season.
Anyway, this will now be the first time since 2017 that the Bulls will not be represented on a Rising Stars roster. Last season, Wendell Carter Jr. narrowly made the market, but he did not play due to a lingering injury. In the two years prior, Lauri Markkanen played in the game each season.
