The Chicago Bulls are looking to snap a four-game losing streak Wednesday night as they take on the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are trending in the opposite direction as they carry a three-game win streak into this matchup.
The last time out the Bulls fell to the Golden State Warriors. The three players to watch in that one offered lots of learning, though. Specifically, Daniel Theis, who showed fans why they are going to love him for however long he is on this team.
The Bulls are expected to be a bit shorthanded in this one as Zach LaVine is unlikely to take the court due to an ankle injury. Even if LaVine does take the court it’s obvious he won’t be 100 percent in this one. He hasn’t been himself in the last few due to the injury and other Bulls are going to have to pick up the slack.
That’s a major factor in the three players to watch for the Bulls tonight. Offensively, this team will be lacking a massive asset in LaVine and players are going to need to step up.
Chicago Bulls player to watch: Patrick Williams
Rookie forward Patrick Williams has been developing at his own speed this season. That isn’t a bad thing. It’s obvious he understands his game and how it fits with the current group. It also shows he is aware of where he needs to grow on the court. That’s promising for Bulls fans.
Tonight, it will be interesting to see how Williams approaches the game knowing his team does lack offense against a very good team. Instead of just being his usual self on defense, Williams needs to be a bit more assertive on the offensive end of the floor.
We all know he is capable of more than he has given on a night-to-night basis. Sometimes he just doesn’t assert himself as he should. He can get away with that while playing next to LaVine most nights, but tonight isn’t like others. Williams needs to have a desire to impact the game on offense tonight for the Bulls to pick up a win.
Last time out, Williams showed those promising offensive abilities early. In the first half, he scored six points on 3-5 shooting and added in three assists. He finished with 14 points on 7-13 shooting, with six rebounds and four assists.
Like he has shown all season, Williams has a strong mid-range game when he is confident in it. Every time he steps into it and pulls up it feels like it is going to drop. If that’s where his confidence is best he should continue preferring that shot. That being said, he needs to build off of that and start attacking the rim more or spread that confidence in his shot to the perimeter.
This is a great opportunity for Williams to take on a bigger role offensively and show the team, fans and coaching staff what he can do on that end of the floor.