Williams starting to make his presence felt for Bulls
There were times during Wednesday's game at the United Center when Patrick Williams matched up against Charlotte's Jalen McDaniels, who is listed at 6-feet-9, 205 pounds and may not be that heavy.
It was certainly visual evidence of how Williams should start asserting himself physically. And while it's too early to call this a breakthrough, the past two games have been a nice improvement.
In victories over Charlotte and Brooklyn, Williams produced a combined 28 points and 12 rebounds, while hitting 12 of 19 shots from the field.
"I think it's something that I always knew," Williams said after the game. "My teammates and my coaches always knew, that's kind of why they were so on me. I think if they didn't think I could do it, they wouldn't be on me the way they were. Credit to those guys for kind of just staying on me, keeping me uplifting."
There has probably been more pressure on Williams than there should be, mostly because he was the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2020 and the Bulls are counting heavily on his improvement.
He had a quick start to his rookie season since the pandemic canceled summer league and shortened training camp, then he missed 65 games with a wrist injury last year.
"I felt I was going to figure it out," he said. "I think I'm just a figure-it-out type of player. The situation didn't always fit me or the situation wasn't always perfect. It never is. You've just got to find a way and figure it out.
"I think I'm learning a lot from the position I'm in. playing with all-stars is fun. It's really fun when you get the hang of it. I think I'm just taking steps in the right direction."
Williams admitted it's been tough trying to find ways to contribute when he's on the court with three all-stars in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. The answer seems to be in just trying to do everything - hit the boards, run the floor, keep moving on offense and be a presence on defense.
"I just think that you feel him out there physically," coach Billy Donovan said. "I like the way he's rolling to the basket, I like the way he's defending, I like the way he's getting his body into plays, the way he's rebounding,
"I think he's running the floor harder, he's going after the ball, he's making plays. He's got good skill level and good vision. But I think when you see him athletically, he's getting his talent into the game. He's been assertive and he's been aggressive."
With the Bulls' bench off to a good start, Williams has also had to earn his playing time. There were a couple of games when he played less than 15 minutes and others, like Wednesday, when he logged more than 32.
Part of that was because the Bulls have been missing a couple of bench pieces in Andre Drummond (left shoulder strain) and Coby White (left quad contusion). Drummond is listed as out for Friday's game in Boston, while White is doubtful. Zach LaVine does not have an injury designation.
The Bulls rallied from a big early deficit to beat the Celtics at home on Oct. 24. After Friday, they'll play a home-and-home with Toronto on Sunday and Monday to complete a very busy early stretch of the schedule.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports