The emergence of Patrick Williams for the Chicago Bulls
In 1925, New York Yankees’ first baseman Wally Pipp, showed up at Yankee Stadium with a terrible headache. The team’s manager took note and advised Pipp to take a couple of aspirins and head home for the day, assuring him that he’d regain his spot in the lineup the next day. Pipp’s replacement that day was a young upstart named Lou Gehrig. After capitalizing on his opportunity by getting three hits in the game, Gehrig became a permanent fixture at first base and would go on to be a Hall of Famer.
While Otto Porter’s removal from the starting lineup isn’t quite as legendary as the aforementioned scenario, it does create a dilemma for Chicago’s front office. During the preseason, the Bulls’ projected starting frontcourt consisted of Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter. Most pundits assumed that the fourth pick in the draft, Florida State’s Patrick Williams, would spend his rookie campaign subbing in for Porter or Markkanen when they needed a breather. Instead, the 6’8″ forward impressed Coach Billy Donovan enough to become a permanent fixture in the starting lineup.
Sometimes the emergence of a player causes the coaching staff to change the rotation and makes the front office re-evaluate the direction of the team. Patrick Williams has started in every game he’s played in and has averaged 10.0 points per game. An athletic 19-year-old who already gained the trust of veterans like LaVine and Markkanen is naturally more appealing than a 27-year-old veteran battling back from injury. Unfortunately for Porter, it looks like his replacement was selected with the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft.