Pick No. 4 (CHI): Patrick Williams, F
Chicago is such a weird team. They have so many decent young guys that you can’t say they’ve been bad drafters. Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., and Coby White all have an above-average level of play right now, and all are young. Zach Lavine is the unquestioned leader of the team, pouring in gaudy point totals nearly every game this year.
But the lack of competitiveness in a vulnerable Eastern conference has been an indictment of both the front office and the coaching staff. Currently, they are 7-11 and 11th in the East. Despite the negativity spout by the kid from Milwaukee, there are some positives if you are a Bulls fan.
Under new management! The Bulls have a new front office headlined by the promising Artūras Karnišovas. Their new coach, Billy Donovan, took a very young OKC team to the playoffs last season. Even if you don’t think he’s the long-term answer, it must be nice to have a real head coach in Chicago (after the last guy…). The first pick of the new regime was Patrick Williams.
Despite winning Sixth Man of the Year awards in college, Williams has started every game for the Bulls. He’s averaging 9.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Nothing eye-popping. His shooting has been great, however, with splits of .460/.405/.794. Those are great shooting numbers for a rookie. It is hard to envision CHI taking anyone else in this spot because there are not a ton of rookies after this pick that have made big impressions. If anything, them landing a wing that is shooting so well and profiled as a 3-and-D guy out of college puts a little pressure on teams that picked before them. Minnesota especially is looking for that exact type of player.
Verdict: Happy but not ecstatic. Williams should be a real contributor to the team for the entirety of his contract and that’s a good deal at No. 4. Him naturally being better at the four means either Markkanen or Carter Jr. are on their way out.