Chicago Bulls' Porter places Williams' hands in good company
Is it too soon to start comparing Bulls rookie forward Patrick Williams to Kawhi Leonard?
Teammate Otto Porter doesn't think so. Then again, Porter was talking about one specific body part - the hands.
"I know he's got big hands," Porter said Wednesday when asked if Williams reminds him of any other player. "Young man is palming the ball like Kawhi Leonard at that young age. No, I mean he's just very athletic. Gets to his spots, very physical body. I don't know. That's a good question.''
Watching Williams has been interesting so far because he's been polished and calm so far in preseason. You'd expect a 19-year-old who rose quickly in the draft to maybe have raw skills that need to be refined. The Bulls will play the third preseason game Wednesday night at Oklahoma City.
So far, Williams has deflected all compliments, even going so far as too suggest his hands are a normal size. Asked about his offensive rebounding skills, Williams was underwhelmed.
"I didn't really think I was that good at it at the college level," said the Florida State product. "I also think I can get way better at it. Just from watching film, there's a lot of rebounds that I'm not getting just because I'm not pursuing it. Thank you for saying I was good at it, but I think I can really get better."
During the first two preseason contests, Williams was the Bulls' third-leading scorer at 12.5 points, but he averaged just 3.0 rebounds.
"At this level I learned that they really don't box out a lot," he said. "Just the opportunities are definitely there for me to get, so just make sure I go to the glass every time."
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls