Early Success and Injuries
Could the Chicago Bulls upset the Milwaukee Bucks? The Bulls had a very promising, and somewhat shocking start to the 2021-22 NBA season. They held the number one seed in the East for several weeks before eventually falling victim to the unavoidable cancer in the NBA known as injuries. The team had lost their 2020 fourth overall pick, Patrick Williams, to a ligament tear in his wrist. Williams was announced out for the year only five games into the season. Later in the season, Chicago would struggle with injuries to key players in the backcourt. Newly acquired Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball as well as Zach LaVine who struggled with a knee issue throughout the year.
The Bulls roster is now almost entirely healthy with only Lonzo Ball remaining sidelined for the entirety of the playoffs. Lonzo is a crucial part of the team, and it will be more difficult without him on the floor no doubt. The good news for Chicago is that they happen to have very good depth when it comes to the guard positions. Alex Caruso will most likely be getting the starting nod in the playoffs.
Patrick Williams
Chicago was able to close out the regular season with some momentum. Patrick Williams is a phenomenal defender and can guard arguably any position on the floor. He can also hurt you with his scoring if he wants to. That’s the problem though, he never seems to want to. It’s no question whether Williams can score, we’ve seen him do it. He doesn’t take many shots, but Williams is efficient in the ones he does take and often knocks them down with ease.
With Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan carrying the bulk of the scoring, Williams hasn’t had much of a reason to want to get more involved offensively. That is until head coach Billy Donovan made him. During the final game of the season, Chicago played Minnesota. Every starter sat out for Chicago, everyone except Patrick. He went on to score 35 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 block. A player who rarely scores double digits had a career-high night when he was given the keys to the offense.
A reminder Patrick Williams is 20 years old.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 11, 2022
35 points | 10-21 FG | 4 reb | 4 ast pic.twitter.com/ryp0YShZ7U
Chicago desperately needs that confidence to be instilled in Patrick Williams. Higher confidence means better play both offensively and defensively Williams. He’s going to need all he can get seeing as how he will be guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo most of the time. Teams have seen Lavine and DeRozan light it up all season. If Chicago can surprise the competition with another threat to the scoring column, that could be the difference.
Bulls vs Bucks
These teams match up very well, both have weaknesses and an edge. Milwaukee has better talent; Giannis is always in the MVP race and even in the conversation for DPOY. Pair that up with the likes of Khris Middleton and Jrue Holliday and you’ve got yourself a scary team. Where the Bucks are weakest is depth, the bench of Milwaukee is thin as paper. Whereas Chicago has one of the deepest benches in the NBA and have had to rely on those players multiple times in the regular season. They haven’t disappointed the team either, playing at a high level when needed.
This series is going to be a tough one for both teams involved. Milwaukee and Chicago are not far from each other. Expect fans of both teams to be traveling well this series and making a true home-court advantage next to impossible to have. The playoffs are only a few days away, realistically every team has a shot to win it. Can Chicago be the dark horse everyone thought they were at the beginning of the season? Only time will tell. This first-round matchup will be a difficult one for Chicago. If the Bulls can upset Milwaukee, they may have a legitimate shot at going all the way.
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