Chicago Bulls: Ranking the 5 projected starters for 2021-22

5. Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams

Second-year combo forward Williams is is listed here due to the talents of the other probable starters and as a reflection of where he is as a player compared to where some think he could be in a few years.

Throughout his rookie campaign, the former Florida State Seminole showed flashes of the athleticism, defensive versatility, shooting, and playmaking that made him the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

That said, the results reflected how far Williams has to travel before reaching that “solid NBA player” destination. Metrics like LEBRON (minus-3.5), RAPTOR (minus-3.7), and Estimated Plus-Minus (minus-3.7) illustrated a dreadful portrait of his inaugural campaign as a pro. The Bulls’ net rating jumping from minus-6.4 to plus-6.6 with Williams off the floor added some grim colors to that picture.

Much of Williams’ struggles came on the offensive end, but his defense wasn’t terrible considering the steep learning curve rookies have when acclimating to NBA defense and that he often had to stick the opponent’s best perimeter wing.

Following an encouraging Summer League (inserts obligatory “it’s just Summer League” caveat here), it would’ve been fun to see how much having a full training camp would’ve helped Williams. Unfortunately, a severe ankle sprain will keep us from gauging his progress for about 4-6 weeks.