Forward Patrick Williams’ numbers lately don’t scream “No. 4 overall draft pick.” They don’t even really say “starter” at this point, let alone justify the five-year, $90 million extension he received in July.
Yet here the Bulls are, with Williams averaging 6.3 points and three rebounds over his last seven games entering Wednesday while shooting just 25.9% from three-point range. He’s also slowly losing minutes, especially late in games.
Coach Billy Donovan reiterated he hasn’t yet considered benching Williams, who finished with 10 points and two rebounds in 24½ minutes in Wednesday night’s loss to the Hawks. But he knows the Bulls need more from a player once expected to be a pillar.
“My expectations for him, even in my conversations with him, is — and this is going to be kind of a broad statement — you’ve got to feel him out there,” Donovan said before the game. “That’s not necessarily scoring. He’s shot the ball pretty well. You’ve got to feel him on the glass, feel him in transition, feel him with the activity with his hands, feel him at the rim. I think he’s capable of doing that. That’s really been the message more than anything else, of him getting his body size [and] physicality into the game.”
Williams isn’t naïve to the situation. He agrees he has an important role on the team but still seems confused about how to fill it consistently. The Bulls have tried to change his routine, having him work with Peter Patton, their director of player development, in hopes of unlocking something.
“We talk, Patrick and I, but in the conversations, he knows. He knows,” Donovan said. “He’s got the body, the size, the physicality, but the consistency part has got to be there. I think he knows that.”
Ayo easing back in
As expected, the Bulls got combo guard Ayo Dosunmu back against the Hawks after he missed 10 games with a strained right calf. For the time being, he’ll be restricted to 24-26 minutes per game, slowly getting more if there are no setbacks. He played just over 25 minutes Wednesday, scoring nine points.
Early edition
The Bulls’ game against the Clippers in Los Angeles was moved up from Tuesday to Monday because of the wildfires in Southern California — one of several NBA games rescheduled. Tipoff will be at 9:30 p.m. The Bulls, who now have a back-to-back on the road, with a game against the Trail Blazers on Sunday, plan to stay in L.A. until Wednesday, then head to San Francisco to face the Warriors the next night.
Ways to go
There isn’t a detailed timeline for veteran forward Torrey Craig to return from what was first diagnosed as an injured nerve in his left knee and is now being called an ankle sprain. Don’t expect him back during this homestand, which concludes Friday night.
“They figured out going back through the video and looking at it that it was kind of an ankle sprain,” Donovan said. “So they’re just treating that right now.”