Expectations were high for Patrick Williams as soon as he stepped foot in Chicago. That’s obviously what comes with being a top-five draft pick. Williams has yet to meet those expectations, and it’s been hard for him.
“It’s obviously a challenge,” Williams said, according to an article from The Chicago Tribune. “I never want to be bad at anything on the court. I always want to try to make the right play. I work really hard at it. I don’t have one reason that I can give you for any of it.”
When Williams played at Florida State in college, he was a star. He didn’t have to think about a lot of these things and there were certain things that he didn’t need to work on because it came easy to him. Things haven’t been the same since he got to the league, and Williams might have to change his routine if he wants to get that kind of groove back.
“This stuff used to sort of just come naturally,” Williams said. “I’ve never really worked on it until now. I’ve always been a good finisher at the rim. Dunks are really not something people work on — but maybe it has to be for the next couple weeks until I get comfortable again.”
Since Williams joined the Bulls, he has averaged double figures in just two out of his five seasons. He averaged 10.2 PPG during the 2022-23 season and 10.0 PPG the following season as well.
So far this year, Patrick Williams is averaging 9.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.2 APG. He wants to reach that potential that he knows he has, and he knows there only way to achieve that: Work.
“You don’t know what you’re good at until you actually start doing it,” Williams said. “That’s part of the game. I love it. I hate it at the same time. But you can only get better if you work at it.”
If the Bulls can get the version of Patrick Williams that they expected when they drafted him, the trajectory of this team could change quite a bit.