3. Trevion Williams (Purdue)
As the NBA is slowly removing itself from the small ball era, another dominant run by the Milwaukee Bucks can fully bring the inside-out game back to the forefront of the league.
Trevion Williams is a viable option for the Bulls if this is to happen. Standing at 6-foot-10, Williams is a strong, physical big man who can serve as a high-low option with Vucevic. He’s a willing passer from the box, and excels off ball as a screener and seal option.
Although he’s an underwhelming athlete, he has shown flashes of outside shooting as well as a solid face-up game.
Bulls’ head coach Billy Donovan’s offensive system uses the five as an off-ball screener to free up guards on three separate actions, before running the pick and roll. That system is tweaked when Vucevic is at the five but reverts back to its traditional form when Thompson is the primary center.
Donovan can go back to these actions with Williams next to Vucevic. Williams can be the screener for Vucevic down low. If two follow Vucevic, Williams will have a wide open shot in the middle. If there’s a switch, Vucevic will mismatch or can go straight into the pick and roll set with one of the Bulls star guards.
Williams can also be the primary big off the bench. Having a mid-range jump shot, allows him to run pick and roll offense with White or Caruso. His passing ability makes him an even bigger threat out of the pick and roll, as he can hit cutters and skip passes, making the defense shift.
Williams’ passing is a strength, but also a weakness. He can be turnover-prone, trying to thread the needle too often when hitting cutters out of the low post. His athleticism is adequate but not jaw-dropping and his defensive rotations can be slow.
The Bulls would have to work on his overall discipline to help him reach his ceiling, but there’s a lot to like here.