3) Chicago Bulls comparison of Williams to Butler
Patrick Williams doesn’t have an all-time great defensive coach like Thibs
Although expectations are high for Billy Donovan as the Bulls’ new coach, it’s going to be very hard for him to reach the bar set by Tom Thibodeau.
Coach Thibs lead the Bulls from 2010-2015, helping nurture the growth of Jimmy Butler as an elite defender. In his first season as coach of the Chicago Bulls, Thibodeau took home the 2010-2011 Coach of the Year Award, leading the Bulls to a 62-20 record and the #1 Defensive Rating in the league.
There are few coaches who knew how to get the most out of his players on defense like Thibodeau, making him the perfect choice to help former Bulls star Jimmy Butler grow into a defensive stalwart. It was a match made in heaven.
This isn’t to say that Butler’s grow to stardom couldn’t have happened without Thibodeau as his coach, but it definitely needs to be remembered how useful having his tutelage was to Butler’s development.
As strong a veteran coach as Billy Donovan is, Williams will not have the same mentorship heading into the Bulls locker room in 2021.