The Chicago Bulls selected Patrick Williams with the 4th pick in this year’s NBA draft. Bulls fans want to know more about the newest member of the team.
When NBA fans across the world think of the Chicago Bulls, their minds inevitably turn to the glory days of the franchise. Led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson, the team reeled off six championships in eight years; a stretch that remains one of the most impressive in the history of modern sports. However, as proud as the organization is of it’s past accomplishments, there have also been several stretches when they’ve been unsuccessful and forced to rebuild. This happens to be the current state of affairs the franchise finds itself in.
The Bulls have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. The last time the team endured a stretch of three consecutive seasons or more without an appearance in the postseason was 1999 through 2004. After winning their sixth title, Michael Jordan retired, Scottie Pippen was traded and Phil Jackson was told not to come within 100 yards of the United Center.
During the ensuing rebuild, the Bulls featured a Rookie of the Year by the name of Elton Brand, a tough kid from Queens named Ron Artest, and a future Sixth Man of the Year by the name of Jamal Crawford. Unfortunately, none of these players would reach their potential while still wearing a Bulls uniform.
Hope for the future came in the form of the 2004 NBA draft when the franchise selected UCONN standout, Ben Gordon, with the third pick in the draft. He’d just come off an NCAA championship run with the Huskies on a team that was led by head coach Jim Calhoun and featured fellow lottery pick, Emeka Okafor. To most pundits, he looked like a future NBA All-Star.
“Gentle Ben” did not disappoint. He would go on to be named to the NBA’s All-Rookie first team that season and walk away with the 2005 Sixth Man of the Year Award. More importantly, he helped the Bulls reach a 47-35 record that season and secure their first playoff birth since the Jordan era.
Fast forward to 2020 and the Chicago Bulls haven’t made the playoffs since 2017. With the fourth pick in the draft, the Chicago Bulls selected Patrick Williams from Florida State. “Wait. Who? From where?” could be heard from living room couches across the Windy City. Unlike Ben Gordon, Patrick Williams wasn’t well known by college basketball fans last season; he never even started a game during his collegiate career! Fans who weren’t following draft boards all season to see pro scouts salivating over the kid’s length and athleticism had no idea who Patrick Williams was.
Rarely is a player who doesn’t start for his college team selected in the lottery. Bulls fans are hoping he can make the kind of impact Ben Gordon did all those years ago, but first, they’d like to get a better understanding of who he is.