RokDeez Bulls Blog

My kids came home from daycare last week with a nifty new saying that’s sweeping the RokDeez household: You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit. I find myself muttering this mantra every time I watch Patrick Williams run up and down the court for the Chicago Bulls.

Before we go any further with this post, let’s get this out of the way, Patrick Williams is having a bad season. Most of his major stats are below his career average, and with the exception of several games, he is visibly struggling on the court. Excuses could and have been made for him, “He’s playing in an up-tempo system that doesn’t fit his style of play,” “He’s coming off a weird foot injury that took up all of his summer,” etc. But I’m not here to discuss the excuses, or even this seasons production, I want to look at Patrick Williams the basketball player.

It was surprising to me to see P. Will’s name pop up as a trade piece while perusing the NBA Rumor Mill a couple weeks ago. Even with the poor season Williams has been having, I felt the Bulls valued him too highly to trade. Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley gave him a decent sized contract just this summer ($90 million over 5 seasons, or $18 mil a year), and for as often as Billy Donovan talks about young players having to earn their minutes, Williams was gifted a starting spot on day one as a rookie, and they have only now, in year 5 of his career, moved him to the bench. I didn’t think they would want to part with the man they selected 4th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. But here we are.

I’m struggling to have any emotional response to the news. I don’t know what team would want P. Will. Teams like Brooklyn or Portland, who are trying to stockpile young talent as they rebuild, don’t make sense. Rebuilding teams wouldn’t want to give up draft picks to take him, and the Bulls wouldn’t want to take back a veteran when they too are tanking.

Competing teams like Cleveland, Boston, Memphis, Houston, etc. might look at Williams as a good way to shore up their defense, or bolster their wing depth. However, teams like this are usually more likely to trade for an experienced veteran like Torrey Craig, whose market value is probably something like an expiring contract, a young player with some upside, or a 2nd round draft pick.

Middle teams might taking a flyer on a guy that “needs a change of scenery,” but Williams still has 4 years on his contract. While the money isn’t awful, teams might be hesitant to commit 4 years to a player that has not capitalized on the opportunities he has been given.

What do I mean by “not capitalizing on opportunities”?

Statistically speaking, Patrick Williams is basically the same player he was in college.

Here are his NBA stats from this year and his career, according to Basketball Reference…

And here are the stats from his one season at Florida State…

Eerily similar stuff.

What does this mean? Well, it looks like Williams hasn’t really developed in his nearly 5 seasons of NBA play.

But I beg to differ.

If you’re a Chicago Bulls sicko like me, and have watched pretty much every game P. Will has played in, you know that his game has changed and developed over the years. We know he’s a smart defender, who works hard at his game. We see that he has adjusted to the speed and power of his NBA opponents. We know that he worked hard to refine his mid-range game with DeMar DeRozan. He can get to all the same spots as DeMar, he just doesn’t sink those shots with the same consistency as the Mid-Range Master. He is a solid 3-point shot maker, and a willing passer.

And we’ve also seen his declining athleticism, leading to missed dunks, defensive gaffs, and poor rebounding numbers. We know his hands can be a little stony when receiving passes, and his dribbling tends to lead to turnovers.

Patrick Williams is by no means a finished product. I believe he still has several years of development ahead of him.

I’m not saying the Bulls shouldn’t trade him. I have been as disappointed in his play this season as every other Bulls fan out there. I’m just saying, if they’re going to trade him, it better be for the right return.

P. Will has come off the bench in the last two games the Bulls have played and has produced.

11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists against Denver.

16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists against Boston.

Those are some solid numbers.

He came off the bench in his one season at Florida State where he won the Sixth Man of the Year award for his conference. Patrick Williams might not be a starter, he might be a relief pitcher. He seems to thrive coming off the bench. He’s not overthinking things. He’s not forcing the game. He looks comfortable. The aggression fans have clamored for from him his entire career is there when he comes off the bench. He looks hungry.

So here we are. The curious case of Patrick Williams.

A hard worker, who has fought through injuries and adjusted to the NBA game. A smart defender, willing passer, and outside threat. A man that seems to have lost a step, that struggles with some basic aspects of the game like dunking and dribbling. A productive bench player that has learned the art of the Mid-Range jumper from one of this eras masters. All of Patrick Williams hard work and effort hasn’t translated to a change in his stats. He seems just as frustrated by this fact as the fans watching him. His play is frustrating enough to make any fan throw a fit.

I don’t know if trading Williams is the answer. I can see him thriving and developing with other teams. I can see him doing that here in Chicago. But I also think it’s just as likely that we see that same 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists stat line for the rest of his career.

Trade him, keep him, just remember that when it comes to Patrick Williams, you get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit.

Until the next time we do throw that fit, thanks for reading, thanks for subscribing, and GO BULLS!