4. Patrick Williams
The Bulls need Patrick Williams to be a threat on the floor if they are going to do anything in this series.
In Game 2, he was extremely aggressive. When the Bucks trapped the Bulls’ top scorers, he either shot the ball or attacked the paint on the the Bucks’ closeouts. On Friday night, he decided to do that thing where he holds the ball and waits for one of the star players to get it back.
That type of play allows the Bucks to easily reset their defense while taking time off of the Bulls’ shot clock. It was like Chicago was playing four on five in Game 3. As the underdogs, Chicago can’t afford to have a non-threat on the floor.
Patrick Williams is scoreless on 0-of-8 shooting with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 turnover in 24 minutes of action tonight.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) April 23, 2022
While Williams is a second-year player who missed most of the season, he’s still a former lottery pick. He isn’t supposed to provide the same energy Javonte Green gives the Bulls. He should be an upgrade.
Unfortunately he isn’t — at least he doesn’t consistently play like it. When he plays like he did in Game 3, the Bulls stars find it hard to get easy looks because the Bucks don’t have to be honest.