Following the Chicago Bulls‘ hard-fought road 111-108 victory over the Toronto Raptors, there is a good feeling flowing through Bulls Nation. The team got their first win in Toronto since 2016, no small feat as the two organizations had been in very different places in the time since.
It also marks the Bulls’ fist 4-0 start since 1996 when a certain G.O.A.T was playing at the Madhouse on Madison before it was even called that.
Zach LaVine had another 22 points and shot 42 percent from beyond the arc. But even he took a backseat to former Toronto Raptor and new Bull DeMar DeRozan who had 26 points and knocked down 2-of-4 triples.
It wasn’t all good, though much of it was, as Patrick Williams had just four points.
Despite shooting 2-of-3 from the floor, his reluctance to score nearly cost the Bulls the game. He did add two assists, two blocks, and a steal. But he failed to haul in even a single rebound in a little under 26 minutes.
The Chicago Bulls cannot afford to wait much longer for Patrick Williams
Highlighting Williams’ passiveness, which was a knock on him last season, was emphasized by his Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes. Barnes was the fourth-overall pick in this past April’s NBA draft just as Williams was a year ago. They also hail from the same college program under Leonard Hamilton at Florida State.
That’s about where the similarities end as the rookie has already shown a more aggressive approach to scoring than the Bulls forward.
Williams appeared in 75 games last season. He scored 10 or more points in just 32 of them. Obviously, Barnes has played in just four games so far. But he as had 12-plus points in all of them.
On a rebuilding Raptors team, Barnes averaged an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double on 14 shots over the first three games before the Bulls held him to 13 points on just eight shots. Williams, who spent most of his time on OG Anunoby, allowed Barnes to score just four points on 50 percent shooting.
BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE pic.twitter.com/c9CXM0I9fI
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 26, 2021
Williams allowed his assignments to hit 40 percent of their shots and finished tied with center Nikola Vucevic for the team lead in defensive rating.
And in the end, his four points — on a paltry three attempts — and future outings like it are going to be this team’s downfall against the upper echelon squads. While this is just the fifth time he has taken three or fewer shots, two of them were this season.
This is an even bigger issue with Coby White — essentially the anti-Pat Williams in terms of what they bring on the court — sidelined until November.
The Bulls bench is 26th in points per game. Alex Caruso and Javonte Green play great defense and can hustle themselves into good offensive nights. Troy Brown even got in on the action against Toronto with 11 points.
None of them are reliable offensive threats. That White is considered to be in comparison speaks to the dire nature of the situation. The trio of DeRozan, LaVine, and Vucevic has been great to start the season but what happens on an off-night from two of the three?
The hope is, that at least in those moments, Williams will step up.
We have seen flashes before. But the 20-year-old had a golden opportunity on Monday and did not even attempt a shot in the second half.
Young players often defer to veterans. But the Bulls vets (which includes LaVine) have openly urged Williams to be aggressive to no avail.
That won’t cut it on a team with playoff aspirations.
As an undersized team, the Bulls are conceding some rebounding by choice. That means fewer extra possessions and a greater emphasis on scoring from everyone. There aren’t many who will question the talent. But the timeline just doesn’t seem to line up unless he magically finds his aggressive side, which he has said doesn’t come naturally.