The Chicago Bulls front office made a risky choice reaching for FSU forward Patrick Williams, and fans are already comparing him and Jimmy.
The Chicago Bulls shocked fans across the country by reaching for Florida State forward Patrick Williams with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The long and athletic defender was one of the most raw prospects available, and was not expected to be taken so high in the draft.
Immediately following the selection, fans and analysts began to draw comparisons to a recent Bulls star draft pick; Jimmy Butler.
Sam Smith wrote on the comparisons of Williams to the 2011 Draft’s 30th pick Butler:
"“Williams is the rare player who his coach said came to college as a freshman asking to play defense and be put in defensive situations, reminiscent of the Bulls former guard Jimmy Butler when he attended Marquette."
Because of these comparisons to his unique defensive ability, fans have already begun to project that Williams could become a “Jimmy Butler 2.0”.
However, these comparisons are missing a lot of the context behind Butler’s rise to stardom in the NBA. The five-time All-Star and 2014-2015 Most Improved Player had the perfect set of circumstances to set himself up for stardom in the NBA.
Although the hope is that Williams can rise to a similar level of talent that Butler has in the NBA, Bulls fans need to remember these three things before they get their hopes up.