As Bulls win again, maybe it’s time to defend Patrick Williams

With the Bulls' top two scorers sidelined by injuries, other players had a chance to spread their wings Friday.

Matas Buzelis did that literally, rising high above Jalen Suggs for perhaps the most monster dunk of his brief pro career.

More subtle was the performance of Patrick Williams, who scored 15 points and did what was needed to help finish off a 121-114 victory over Orlando at the United Center, the Bulls’ second win in a row without Josh Giddey and Coby White.

Buzelis saw his usage increase and produced 21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. He was important down the stretch, grabbing some key rebounds and contesting 3-pointers on the perimeter.

Coach Billy Donovan had a half-serious critique of the Buzelis highlight slam in the first half.

“The dunk was amazing, but we lost that by 1 point, because we never got back in transition and they made a 3,” Donovan said. “People always look at the scoring, but I think he's got, obviously, the ability and talent to affect the game in a lot of different ways.”

The Bulls (17-17) put six players in double figures and got a ton of bench points, led by Kevin Huerter with 20. Giddey (left hamstring strain), White (right calf tightness) and Zach Collins (right toe sprain) were out.

No one is going to question Buzelis' star potential. Williams is a different story. He hasn't lived up to expectations, recently dropped almost out of the playing rotation, but he showed again Friday he can be a helpful player.

“Adversity always kind of has a way of dialing you in a little bit more,” Williams said after the game. “That might have been their plan with this, I don't know. But adversity, if you look at it the right way, it always kind of has a way of sharpening you.”

Let's quickly recap of how we got here. Williams was the wrong choice for the No. 4 pick of a 2020 pandemic-delayed draft. That's not his fault, that's on the management team of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley.

They passed on Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, Deni Avdija and Desmond Bane, among others. Heading into that draft, Williams was on no one's radar, then suddenly vaulted to a top-four pick.

For some reason, Karnisovas and Eversley ignored a flaw in the scouting report. Williams is a classic “tweener” forward — not quick enough to succeed at small forward, not tall enough to excel at power forward. He's not ultra-athletic by NBA standards.

Talk about See Red: This was a red-flag waving in their faces. These type of players are notorious for failing in the NBA. Some other top picks who fit this mold were Jabari Parker, Anthony Bennett, Thomas Robinson, Derrick Williams. Aaron Gordon was another candidate but turned his career around by becoming a bruising power forward in Denver.

It's also not Williams' fault the Bulls offered a four-year, $72 million contract in 2025, which made him nearly untradeable. All these factors made Williams a convenient but unfair scapegoat for the Bulls' mediocre march.

Williams showed what he can bring Friday. He has a skill every team needs — making 3-pointers. Williams was at 40.4% for the season before going 3 for 5 against the Magic.

He's also a decent defender, against the right opponent. Donovan had him guarding Paolo Banchero (31 points) late in this game.

“Yeah, that's when you want to be out there,” Williams said. “Everything matters toward the end. So that's when you want to be in.”