NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls will approach Patrick Williams’ return with caution.
The forward has missed the team’s last 10 games after experiencing foot inflammation following a Nov. 18 victory over the Detroit Pistons. He was finally able to return to the practice floor early this week, first participating in non-contact work on Tuesday before taking contact on Wednesday. More specifically, Coby White told Chicago Sports Network’s K.C. Johnson that Williams was “super aggressive” during scrimmages.
Williams registered another day of practice on Thursday, and he is now officially on track to suit up for Friday’s meeting against the Charlotte Hornets. Billy Donovan said on 670 The Score, however, that Williams will return under a minutes restriction. He also stated that moving the 23-year-old to the bench for the time being is not off the table.
???Patrick is going to come back with a minutes restriction,” Donovan said on 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh. “So now you start to think about how you get him back into the flow of things knowing that you have a certain amount of minutes that he has to play with. That may mean him coming off the bench for a little bit. That may mean him eventually coming back to the starting role.”
Donovan also shared with reporters later in the day that Williams’ workload is expected to be kept between 20-24 minutes.
Moving Williams to the second unit would be one of the easiest ways to control his minutes restriction over the next handful of games. But, if he does go through with this, one has to wonder if the decision would solely be about Williams’ health.
Patrick Williams to the bench?
A part of me wonders if Billy Donovan views this as a good excuse to try something new with Patrick Williams. The young forward has obviously left a lot to be desired over his first 15 games of the season.
Does he deserve some extra time to re-acclimate after a season-ending foot surgery? Absolutely, especially when we also consider the Bulls have drastically changed their style of play. However, the expectations remain high for the former No. 4 overall pick who just signed a five-year, $90.0 million deal. This is supposed to be a season where he takes a significant leap and runs through the door that opened with the departure of DeMar DeRozan. He has yet to show even flashes of doing that.
Williams has averaged just 9.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game so far this season. He’s also shooting a career-low 37.6 percent from the floor. Overall, Cleaning the Glass has him listed with a -5.9 On/Off differential, which is the fourth-worst on the team.
The Bulls do need his size and defensive versatility on the court. Nobody on the roster provides his combination of strength and explosiveness. But he hasn’t shown nearly enough to deserve a permanent spot in the starting lineup. Perhaps giving him even more room to work offensively off the bench can help open up his game. He can potentially act as a secondary playmaker and feed off some of the energy created by some fellow youngsters.
All I’m saying is that this seems like a pretty natural time to move Williams to the bench and see if it awakens anything in him. Would his foot injury likely play the biggest role in the decision? Yes, but Donovan could very easily control his minutes as a starter if Williams earned that role. He hasn’t.
