Patrick Williams has found his way onto the injury report.
The Chicago Bulls’ young power forward turned his ankle in Wednesday’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. While the injury didn’t initially appear to be anything serious, Williams is now listed as “questionable” for tomorrow’s meeting with the Magic, per the NBA.
While Williams may not be off to the most electrifying start to the season, there is no question he’s found his rhythm over the past two weeks. Not only is he playing a far more physical brand of basketball, but he’s cracked double-digit scoring in three of his last five games. The only reason he likely didn’t reach that mark against the Pelicans was thanks to the Bulls tasking him with the toughest defensive matchup of the night. We saw Williams locked on Brandon Ingram, who he’s now held to just 1-7 shooting on the year, per NBA’s one-on-one matchup data.
Still, even with Williams starting to find his groove, the rest of the team has struggled in a big way. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a starting lineup change on the horizon, and Donovan might have no choice but to try something new at the power-forward spot tomorrow regardless of Williams’ health.
In other news, the Bulls might finally get one of their better 3-point shooters back on the floor. Coby White has been upgraded to “questionable” for tomorrow’s game after missing eight-straight contests with a quad contusion. It’s hard to imagine that his return to the rotation would have that significant of an impact, but the Bulls will also take whatever help they can get right now.