Chicago Bulls: 3 things Williams-Butler comparisons are missing
By Nick Porr
3) Chicago Bulls comparison of Williams to Butler
Patrick Williams is going to get a lot more minutes than Jimmy Butler right away
Speaking of former Bulls’ coach Thibodeau, giving rookies minutes was not something he was known for. In his first season, Butler only played in 42 games for an average of 8.5 minutes per game.
Even as he grew in the Bulls organization, there was little pressure on him to transform into a game changing piece right away. This gradual ease into the NBA was extremely beneficial to a young, raw talent like Butler was.
The Bulls had their star in Derrick Rose. They also knew Joakim Noah was their defensive anchor and locker room presence. Even when Rose was injured, Luol Deng was there to carry the offensive load, amongst numerous other veterans and role players.
The Bulls were a perennial playoff team when Butler started his career, giving him plenty of time to grow acclimated to NBA play without much pressure to succeed from the team or fans.
Patrick Williams does not have that pleasure.
The Bulls wing rotation is a massive question mark: Will Otto Porter Jr. get healthy? Will Denzel Valentine still be on the roster? Is Chandler Hutchinson a real rotation piece, or a bench warmer?
Now Williams has been thrown right into that mess of a rotation, only further complicating the team outlook for this season.
On top of that, the Bulls are far from a contender. They’ve missed out on the playoffs each year since 2017, and it seems like no player is safe from trade rumors. This is nowhere near the stable environment Butler was brought into.
Unlike Butler, Patrick Williams will have a lot of attention on him right away, and a much bigger role on day one. This is the weight that comes with being taken in the top 5 of the Draft.
This environment will only make it harder for the young forward to develop and find his place in the NBA.