Patrick Williams is chicago bullsWednesday night with a 106-88 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
And if you think you heard it recently, it’s because you heard it — after he did the same thing in his on-the-road victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Stringing together impactful performances is what growth and development in the NBA is all about. And Williams is starting to make his presence felt night after night.
“You feel him physically,” said coach Billy Donovan. “I like the way he rolls to the basket. I like the way he defends. I like the way he plays with his body, the way he rebounds. He runs harder on the floor.” He’s chasing the ball He’s acting
“He has always been an unselfish and smart player. He has a great skill level and vision. But athletically, he brings his talents into the game. I think he realized that these decisions had to be made not just to help himself, but to help the team.
By now it’s well documented that Williams is a team-first player whose first instinct is to procrastinate. He speaks frankly about the difficulty of playing for
On the contrary, Donovan and his coaching staff emphasized through film sessions and lengthy discussions how players can influence the game without scoring. Javonte Green trying to deflect and dunk everything he touched aggressively.
As such, Williams’ influence on Wednesday was recorded with a season-high 16 points and 7-for-9 shooting. His five rebounds and his two blocks didn’t tell the whole story either.
From the layup and dunk to score the Bulls’ first four points, to the hockey assist off a left-handed pass off a live dribble in the second quarter, to the bullet pass in transition to a green dunk in the fourth quarter, Williams has a purpose. played with and made a decisive decision.
“Just play with more energy,” Williams said. “Play with energy and the ball will find you. Knock down open shots. You may miss a couple, but you’re going to get a couple more.”
“I try to put my hat on for being versatile, being able to do multiple things.
Instead of talking about the difficult and polite aspects of playing with DeRozan and LaVine, Williams called the qualifying experience “really enjoyable.”
“Playing for the All-Stars is really fun once you get the hang of it,” Williams said.
Williams is getting the hang of it as he looks inward. And that’s because he has a coaching staff who constantly remind him of his importance and goals.
“I think that’s what I knew all along. And my teammates and coaches always knew. That’s why they were crazy about me. They thought I could do it.” Without them, they wouldn’t have been interested in me,” Williams said.
“For me, I felt like I was trying to figure it out. I think I’m just a calculating player to get to the NBA. It wasn’t always perfect, it never is, you have to understand that, and I think I learned a lot from my current position.”
Donovan made a well-worn point about how atypical Williams’ first two seasons in the NBA were. After coming off the bench in his only season in Florida, the pandemic robbed Williams of summer league and training camp. I found myself fighting.
Following that second-team all-rookie season, Williams broke his wrist after a flagrant foul on Mitchell Robinson and missed most of the second season.
“Everybody would love to see this progress. But to be fair, he doesn’t have a regular two-year NBA schedule like many players have. It took,” said Donovan. “And every player grows and evolves at a different rate.”
Another Exhibit A? Lauri Markkanen in action earlier this season for Utah’s third team.
Williams is only 21 years old.
“He’s very young. He’s obviously very talented and gifted. And he’s gotten better,” said Donovan. “It’s good to see him jump as a player. Good to see.”
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