Players causing the second half collapses No. 1: Patrick Williams
No one Bulls player came through with a more disappointing offensive performance in the second halves of each of the last two losses, maybe outside of WCJ, than the rookie forward and former Florida State Seminole Patrick Williams. The 6-foot-7 and 215 pound North Carolina native Williams is still just 19 years old, so you can’t put too much stock into his inconsistent play at times during his rookie campaign.
Yet, it was nice to see Williams come out of the gates after the All-Star Break with some solid offensive moments. The defensive flashes were there all season for Williams as he’s taken on some of the more difficult assignments on that end of the floor for Donovan and the Bulls. Williams does need to find more consistency with his play at each end of the floor, though.
Williams’ play as a whole just wasn’t all that good in the loss to the Nuggets by a four-point margin in overtime on the night prior. After he posted just his third double double of the season in the loss to the Spurs on March 17, he came out flat against the Nuggets.
And there wasn’t even really a tough defensive assignment that Williams had to take on against the Nuggets.
In the loss to the Nuggets, Williams registered just a 6.1 game score (one of his lowest on the season to date), a measly six points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. And he shot just 2-of-7 from the field. That is one of a whopping four games that Williams has shot below 30 percent from the field in a single game since the All-Star Break concluded.