Chicago Bulls: The importance of Patrick Williams’ return

Patrick Williams’ return from injury this week could be the key to ending the Bulls’ recent skid.

The Chicago Bulls‘ 2021-22 season is a tale of two teams. One is the squad we saw at the start of the season. A balanced, consistent, and versatile group that quickly rose to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The other is what has emerged following the All-Star break — one plagued by injuries, inconsistency, and the inability to beat playoff teams.

The script has flipped on the Bulls, and the fans and media are becoming increasingly skeptical about the team’s playoff chances — or at least how Chicago will perform once the time comes. It’s easy to point to the Bulls’ star power as the answer to the team’s slump, but DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine have been playing well; it’s members of the supporting cast that need to step up, and that’s why second-year forward Patrick Williams might just be the X-factor.

Williams’ second year in the league has been far from ideal. He dislocated his wrist early back in October and has spent most of the season on the sideline. He returned to action earlier this month but has seen some minute restrictions as he gets re-acclimated to the flow and pace of NBA games.

Still only 20 years old, it might feel unfair to be putting so much pressure on Williams’ shoulders. After all, he was seen as a developmental prospect when he was drafted in 2020 and has barely played this season. But the Bulls don’t need Williams to be a star player by any means; they just need him to help fill some of the holes that have held the team back in recent weeks.

The biggest difference with the Bulls team that catapulted to the top of the league’s standings to start the year and the one that is stumbling through the finish line is defense. The Bulls were among the league leaders in defensive efficiency back then but have now fallen to 21st in the league in defensive rating. This is the lowest mark of any playoff team that isn’t in line for a play-in game.

Getting Alex Caruso (and hopefully Lonzo Ball) back before the playoffs should help with this, but perimeter defense is only the beginning of Chicago’s defensive woes. The Bulls are ranked 25th in points in the paint allowed at 49.7, which is, again, the most of any playoff team that isn’t in a play-in spot. Nikola Vucevic doesn’t have the athleticism to stick with more skilled bigs, and the Bulls possess a relatively small starting lineup.

This is where Williams comes in. His defense is one of his calling cards, and his length and instincts can allow him to be very disruptive on the defensive end. The only way the Bulls can compensate defensively for below-average defenders like LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic is to have other players who can shut down their man, or handle the opposing team’s best scorer.

At 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, Williams may be a little undersized to take on opposing teams 4s and 5s, but he’s the Bulls’ last hope. Chicago has tried countless alternatives in his absence to no avail. Though the Bills can score with the best of them, it won’t matter if they can’t improve their defense.

This gives Williams an opportunity to have a breakthrough and show why his staunch defense has drawn comparisons to the likes of Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard.