Who Nikola Vucevic will help No. 2: Patrick Williams
The former Florida State Seminoles freshman forward and ACC Sixth Man of the Year Patrick Williams was the fourth overall pick for Karnisovas and the Bulls in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. And this ultra-promising 6-foot-7 and 215 pound rookie 19-year-old forward Williams is going to see a boost in his production down the stretch with the addition of Vucevic.
The North Carolina native Williams has shown a lot of flashes in his game on both ends of the floor so far this season. It’s just the consistency factor that needs to eventually come to the forefront for Williams. But it is going to take time for the game of Williams to round out on both ends of the floor since he was the youngest player selected in the 2020 draft.
Williams has already drawn a number of tough defensive assignments for first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls this season. He needs to show that he can have more confidence and smarter decisions with the ball in his hands on the offensive end of the floor.
The counting stats don’t look too shabby for Williams so far during his rookie campaign. He’s averaged roughly 10 points per game, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block, so far this season. And he’s shot around 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc.
Now it’s the individual efficiencies in Williams’ game and the overall confidence factor that can be improved by the addition of Vucevic. He’ll have a lot more room to operate on offense, just like White will. And Williams will be able to come off screens and cut with more open room than he used to. This could be a sizable breakthrough for Williams down the stretch this season.