NEWSLETTER
Ah, well that’s not a headline you like to see.
According to NBC Sports Chicago’s Rob Schaefer, head coach Billy Donovan said that Patrick Williams is dealing with a shoulder injury following Wednesday night’s season-opener. While the rookie was able to shoot today with what does not appear to be a “severe” injury, Donovan said he will likely be questionable heading into Friday’s home opener.
Patrick Williams is dealing with a shoulder strain, Billy Donovan said. Happened going for a loose ball vs. DET. Was able to shoot today
Donovan doesn’t believe it’s anything “too severe,” but said Williams will likely be questionable vs. Pels. Want to see how he feels tomorrow
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) October 21, 2021
I remember the exact play where it looked like Williams suffered some shoulder discomfort. About one and half minutes into the third quarter, Williams got tied up for a loose ball with guard Killian Hayes. As he dove to the floor, Hayes could be seen landing on top of Williams’ shoulder as he grabbed the ball and simultaneously pulled Williams’ arm in an awkward way. The second-year forward was noticeably slow to get up as he kind of held his arm inward. However, despite this, Williams stayed on the floor and remained active for the rest of the game.
Take a look:
Here is the video where Patrick Williams appeared to hurt his left shoulder.
Scrambled for loose ball before Hayes landed on top of him. According to @rob_schaef, Donovan could view Williams as QUESTIONABLE for Friday.
Williams did stay in and play the remainder of the game. pic.twitter.com/zpE9QlNXP4
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) October 21, 2021
Chances are Williams is simply feeling the after effect of this odd tie-up. All things considered, the words from Donovan are encouraging, but the team could always plan to be extra cautious since we are just one game into the season. There is no denying that Williams’ absence on Friday would be a big one, though, as he is likely going to be in charge of slowing down the Pelicans’ go-to guy, Brandon Ingram.
UPDATE (5:02)
The Chicago Bulls have now listed Patrick Williams as “probable” for tomorrow night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Williams is now listed as probable vs. the Pelicans on injury report. Good sign https://t.co/sEe3wfUItS
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) October 21, 2021
While we should still keep a close eye on how Williams looks if he takes the court tomorrow, this should give us a pretty clear indication that the injury is nothing series.
Anyway, as someone who is going to be in the United Center tomorrow, I’m certainly happy to know P-Will should be on the court!
