What Kind Of Role Will Patrick Williams Play?

Patrick Williams was a player that flew up draft boards ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft due to his ability to be effective on both ends of the court. He is listed as a small-forward but Williams is the type of player that can play any position on the court given his 6’8” frame and 7-foot wingspan. 

At Florida State last season, Williams was a key player in the Seminoles success and while he did not start for the team, he had a big impact off the bench. In one season in Tallahassee, he averaged 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, and shot 45.9% from the floor. He was one of the better defensive players in the ACC and his ability to guard 1-4 on the court is something that was intriguing to a lot of NBA personnel.

With the Bulls this season, Patrick Williams will likely come off the bench and serve as a second-unit player behind Otto Porter Jr. on the wing. Defense was one of the areas the Chicago Bulls were reliable in last year, ranking 14th in points allowed to opponents per game and Williams will continue to help the Bulls improve as an overall great defensive team. 

The biggest problem for the Chicago Bulls last year was scoring on the offensive end of the court, as they ranked 27th in the NBA in total team offense. It should be interesting to see where Patrick Williams fits into the mix this year on offense seeing as he was never really a big contributor on that end of the court in college.

Expect to see Patrick Williams be the Chicago Bulls’ 6th man off the bench this year and be a guy who can guard numerous positions on the defensive end of the court.