Chicago Bulls rookie forward Patrick Williams failed to make the cut for ESPN’s recent ‘Top 25 Players Under 25’ list that ranks players by their future potential. Leaving the fourth overall selection off the list was a clear snub.
It shows how quickly people forget the upside Williams possesses that caused the Bulls to select him fourth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. The rankings are done by ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton and Mike Schmitz.
No disrespect to any of them, but it’s hard to see the reasoning for a couple of players that made the list instead of Williams. Obviously, P-Will doesn’t rank among the top players on such a list like Luka Doncic or Zion Williamson.
He does have a very strong case to be ahead of quite a few players later on the list, though. A couple seem like no-brainers even.
Chicago Bulls rookie Patrick Williams is the second-youngest player in the NBA
First things first, a big point to be made in favor of Williams is how young he still is. It’s easy to forget he is the NBA’s second-youngest player right now because he has slotted into a starting role on the Bulls so smoothly.
Williams won’t turn 20 years old until August 26 of this year. He’s that you’d and has all the physical tools teams want in a wing player in today’s NBA. Despite his youth, Williams has spent most of this season guarding the opposing team’s best scorers and more often than not holding his own.
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The defensive skillset is on display nightly and he is only scratching the surface. It’s scary to think about where he will be a few years from now with more experience and knowledge. Additionally, he is still building himself physically to be the best NBA player he can be.
The sky is the limit for him defensively. Most can easily see defensive stopper written all over him and he is still just 19 years old.
While his offensive game is nowhere near as strong as his defensive game right now, it’s still something to be extremely excited about. Don’t get fooled by averages or single-game performances. Patrick Williams is a very promising offensive player.
If anything, his numbers show he has a strong understanding of both his own game and the game in general. He isn’t forcing things and knows what he can and can’t do as a 19-year-old NBA player.
Those things he can do sure do get Bulls fans excited. His mid-range game is really strong for a first-year player. He knows it, fans know it and opponents know it. As he expands his range he should develop into a very good outside shooter as well.
That isn’t to say he isn’t a good one already. He is just selective with the threes he takes and needs to polish that area of his game in the next few years. If he improves from the outside over the next couple of seasons he could be an elite outside shooter.
On 2.1 three-point attempts per game, Williams is knocking them down at a 38.7 percent clip this year. He has the shooting touch and with more focus on that part of his game, he could become an unguardable perimeter scorer.
There is a reason he was selected fourth overall by the Chicago Bulls. The fact that only one player in the entire league is younger than him shows how much development is still ahead of him.
Not putting Patrick Williams on the ‘Top 25 Under 25’ was a big miss by ESPN. One they’ll inevitably get some heat for in a few years when people look back at this list. Remember, this is based on each player’s future potential.
Patrick Williams is 19 years old and playing a significant role successfully.
Below are players that made the Top 25 (and where they ranked) that Williams has a strong case to be ranked ahead of. The first two names he certainly should be ahead of. The rest are debatable, at best, against Williams in terms of long-term potential.
- Jarrett Allen (23rd)
- Mikal Bridges (17th)
- Lonzo Ball (24th)
- Collin Sexton (25th)
- Tyrese Haliburton (21st)
- Jamal Murray (13th)