Drafted in 4th position in 2020, Patrick Williams was seen as the possible stabilizer of this slightly shaky Chicago team around Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.
Alas, the strong winger does not weigh enough. Too shy offensively, he was completely taken out of the major five by Billy Donovan after the first five games of this new campaign, in favor of Torrey Craig. While he was not extended and he will be a protected free agent next summer, his future in Illinois is unclear…
Billy Donovan still believes in it
“I know the goal is to keep Patrick here long term”, yet assures Billy Donovan. “It’s been consistent from the start. Do I think Patrick needs a change of environment? I didn’t think Lauri (Markkanen) needed a change of environment, but that was my opinion. I’m not surprised by its evolution. He has been to several different places. Sometimes when you’re going through a period like that, you’re like, ‘Damn, I’m in Chicago, I’m in Cleveland, now I’m in Utah, I have to find solutions.’ And I think Patrick is very motivated to find solutions. »
In any case, Patrick Williams does not plan to ask, precisely, to change environment.
Patrick Williams is not complaining
“He never told me he needed a change of scenery” continues the coach. “There was nothing like that. He’s really good at figuring out what he needs to do, instead of just saying, ‘I need this, I need that.’ When guys are like that, things never go well.”
The strong winger confirms that he wants to make things work at the Bulls, despite the difficulties and the fact that he cannot find his place alongside the “Big Three” set up by the leaders.
” I like this place. I love the city, I love the team. I love what we are”, he repeats. “We want to win. There are no artifices. There are no moral victories here. It’s obvious that I like it. The main goal is to help the team take the next step and to help myself take that step.”
