Chicago Bulls: Situations where Patrick Williams was an elite shooter

A lot of Chicago Bulls fans should agree, rookie forward Patrick Williams has a very bright future in the Windy City. Williams showed his defensive ability in some of the toughest matchups that any Bulls player had during the regular season. And a lot of his counting stats and shooting percentages proved what type of potential he has on offense if he can continue to up his aggressiveness and overall confidence next season.

The shooting percentages Williams registered during his rookie campaign are a particular area worth emphasizing. He finished up his rookie campaign shooting around 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. Not too shabby for a player that often lacked aggressiveness that should’ve boasted last season on offense.

Yet, first-year head coach Billy Donovan now knows more about what situations Williams fairs best in. And the front office has a better understanding of the right pieces to put around him moving forward to help move his game along.

Williams actually shot better in most regards during his rookie season with the Bulls than he did during his freshman campaign in college with the Florida State Seminoles. He shot 46 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc at Florida State.

Although his free-throw shooting did take a dip between his one season at Florida State (just north of 84 percent) and his rookie campaign with the Bulls (around 73 percent).

Where the Chicago Bulls can use Patrick Williams to shoot more effectively?

There were certain areas of the floor and situations where Williams was a seriously good shooter for the Bulls. For example, he was a very good shooter from the corner from beyond the arc. He shot just north of 42 percent from beyond the arc when he pulled up from the corner in the season.

But less than 42 percent of the three-point attempts that Williams had during his rookie season came from the corner. Utilizing that strength in his shooting zones more often could be very beneficial for the Bulls next season.

Moreover, Williams was a lot more effective when he was assisted on his three-point attempts. More than 98 percent of the three-point shots that he made were assisted. Compared to less than 74 percent of his two-point attempts being assisted, Williams clearly can be a solid shooter from deep when the ball is kicked to him.

There was also a direct correlation in the shooting percentages of Williams from at least three feet from the rim when he was assisted compared to when he did it on his own. For example, he shot just 39.4 percent from the field on his attempts from three-to-10 feet from the rim. That was also the range that had the least amount of his field goals assisted (under 65).

Part of that could just be a confidence and rhythm issue. Williams has a good mid-range shot since he can use his length and athleticism to get above opposing defenders. The improved efficiency from the mid-range should come over time for him.

Moreover, Williams shot well for the Bulls late in the quarter. Whether that’s due to him being good in clutch time, or just a coincidence, is yet to be known. But he did shoot an impressive 50 percent from the field and 54.2 percent from beyond the arc in the final three minutes of quarters.

There are also some indicators that Williams is a more confident shooter when the Bulls are up and there could be less pressure on his shoulders. When the Bulls were either up or down by more than six points in games, Williams shot better than 45 percent from beyond the arc and had an effective field goal percentage above 55.

It is also important to note that Williams was both an efficient shooter on the road and in the final month of the regular season for the Bulls.

He shot roughly 15 percent better from beyond the arc and eight percent better from the field in road games compared to home.

And in the month of May, he shot 52.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. There was a clear correlation in his increase in shooting efficiency when he was more aggressive on offense in the final games of the regular season.

It’s clear that Williams can be a really efficient player on offense for the Bulls. He already showed what he can do on defense as a rookie. His shooting percentages were better than the league average by at least two percentage points from three-point range, two-point range, and he was one percentage point better than the average in true shooting.