Chicago Bulls new general manager, Artūras Karnišovas, made his first selection as the architect of the franchise. And he didn’t start with a grand atrium or a koi pond in said atrium. He began with the base. A six-foot, eight-inch, 225-pound, stable base by the name of Patrick Williams.
The NBA Draft is an exciting time. Exciting for the fans, for the teams, for the young men living out their dreams. It’s the first tangible event of the new league year. And it’s particularly exciting for bad teams with new front offices who don’t have a real franchise player. The draft is where you hope to get that franchise player. There’s a specific tone surrounding the draft and whoever the team you’ve chosen to be a fan of selects. This particular tone was not the case for the Chicago Bulls. But not in a bad way! Allow me to set the mood for the rest of this article.
Everyone knows the NBA on TNT theme song right? If you don’t, just listen and you’ll know what I’m talking about. That’s how the draft should feel. The Bulls taking Patrick Williams more closely resembles the version of that song that sounds like elevator music, occasionally played when the broadcast previews matchups on their network for the rest of the week. It’s a bunch of rich dudes in silk robes sipping brandy by the fire discussing their latest wins in the stock market. Get yourself in that headspace (and maybe find some actual elevator music) for the rest of this article.
Patrick Williams is Not a Sexy Pick
In a wildly unpredictable, seemingly lackluster, draft class, teams could act in one of two ways. On the one hand, they could swing for the fences with high upside and major potential. On the other hand, they could bloop a single just over the infield. Patrick Williams is the bloop single. There’s nothing wrong with a bloop single. We’ve got a runner on base. With the fourth pick in a draft like this, the Bulls and Karnišovas were set up for success. They had a high pick, but not high enough to outsmart themselves. They added a solid, foundational player that won’t have a lot of pressure on him from day one. Let’s take a look at some of the implicit reasons as to why that is.
First off, his name is Patrick Williams. The name doesn’t exactly jump off the page. His last name isn’t in the title of a reality show, he doesn’t have an Avengers-related nickname, and sure as hell isn’t Tyrese Haliburton (easily one of the coolest names in the class). He’s just Patrick Williams. And that’s fine!
Second, he played at Florida State. Who’s the most notable Seminole to play in the NBA? Sam Cassell? Dave Cowens? Not exactly a powerhouse NBA pipeline. He was the sixth-man for the star-less Seminoles. So we already have the built-in excuse for when he’s not starting over Otto Porter Jr. late in the season after they failed to move him at the deadline (that’s a whole other story).
Lastly, he wasn’t particularly elite at any one skill. Williams is a big, long, skilled defender and a competent shooter. His most transferrable skill, in my opinion, is his 83.8 free-throw percentage. Again, not sexy. But I LOVE good free throw shooting. This all feels underwhelming for the fourth overall pick in the NBA draft. But I think that’s exactly what the new Bulls brass wanted.
Artūras Karnišovas: The Architect
Karnišovas and new coach Billy Donovan are both in year one with the franchise. This almost assuredly means they’re given a long leash by owner Jerry Reinsdorf to build the team into what they envision. So what did they do? They took the youngest American-born player in the draft. Williams is barely 19 and I can already see the jokes four years down the road when he scores 30 points for the first time in his career. “Wow, did you know Patrick Williams is only 20 years old? Crazy”.
AK will be allowed to play the waiting game with this kid for years. I just pray to the basketball gods it won’t get to that point. With the absence of a standout skill, the hope here is Billy Donovan is able to maximize whatever talent he sees in practice. He’ll be able to slowly mold him into the type of player they need him to be. That is where I see upside in a player like Williams. Being good at a lot of things without a glaring weakness (Like Ben Simmons’ shooting ability) to isolate, the rigor of the NBA can only be positive for a player like him. There isn’t a lot of boom or bust here. Karnišovas went right through the center of that spectrum.
This selection is a win for the AK Regime if they can get to the end of that rookie contract and it’s a no-brainer to extend him. While that may sound like a low bar, it’s the Bulls. Lower your standards.
Where Does Williams Fall in the Rotation?
Do you see that picture? Whatever you think of those four, they are the building blocks of this franchise, unless AK goes scorched-earth and decides to blow up the whole thing. I welcome any and all possibilities. Where was I? Oh yeah. Patrick Williams. At some point in the next few seasons he will be sandwiched right in the middle of those four. I don’t see any scenario in which Patrick Williams starts games for the Bulls in 2020-21. But he’s a sixth man, remember? It’s all good! The starting five will likely be Coby White and Zach Lavine in the backcourt, and Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr. in the frontcourt.
The hope for Williams is to provide energy and effort off the bench with the likes of Daniel Gafford, Ryan Arcidiacono, and whoever else they’re able to trot out on a nightly basis. And while he may not start, the most promising development for Williams would be to see closing minutes. With his size and versatility, Billy Donovan has what every coach in the modern NBA wants. The Bulls could stick Williams at any other position. He has the build of an elite perimeter defender, but where he really shined on the defensive end at FSU was in rim-protection. Small-ball center anyone? This is the most exotic we’ve gotten since we started. Allow me to dream.
No one can convince me the Chicago Bulls will make the playoffs this season. Even in the Eastern Conference. On Wednesday night, they added a player the franchise can meticulously build with and around. Whatever the roster looks like in a few seasons may not revolve around Patrick Williams. But it will not function without him.
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