Although the Chicago Bulls seem to have at least semi-committed to transitioning third-yeard forward Patrick Williams to the bench, they’re not the only team daring enough to bench a core piece of their roster. The player I’m referring to, of course, is none other than Russell Westbrook.
While these two instances may seem completely unrelated, I think the Bulls would be wise to replicate the Lakers’ bold commitment to shaking up the roster.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Lakers will officially experiment with Westbrook coming off the bench in tonight’s game against Sacramento. If all goes well, it could have serious long-term implications for their championship contention hopes.
ESPN reporting with @Mcten: The Lakers are planning to bring Russell Westbrook off the bench in the final preseason game vs. Kings tonight (ESPN, 10 ET). Darvin Ham and Westbrook have been exploring possibility of Westbrook quarterbacking second unit and they'll try it tonight.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 14, 2022
If Westbrook of all people is willing to accept and find success in a bench role, it’s no stretch to believe just about anyone could. That’s precisely why providing a space for Williams to become comfortable as a first option off the bench is a gamble the Bulls need to be willing to make.
Giving Patrick Williams the Russell Westbrook treatment could, oddly enough, end up being a great decision by the Chicago Bulls.
Now, before we get too far ahead of ourselves here, I’d like to clarify that I’m in no way comparing Westbrook to Williams as a player. In fact, it’d be difficult finding two players as different in age, temperament, and play style as these two. When you compare their roles with their respective teams, however, it all starts to make a little more sense.
Westbrook has thoroughly proven now that he lacks the willingness to adapt his game in order to become a strong complementary piece. As long as Russ starts games, the Lakers will never have a truly cohesive starting lineup. Whereas Westbrook’s game is too selfish to co-exist next to LeBron and Davis, the Bulls have the opposite problem on their hand in regard to Pat’s unselfishness.
To counteract this issue, Los Angeles is taking a calculated risk by bumping Westbrook down to the bench unit. The thought process here is that Russ will be able to play his brand of basketball without worrying about detracting from his co-stars’ shot opportunities. The same goes for the Bulls, who will employ Williams from off the bench more regularly moving forward.
As we saw in Chicago’s final preseason game, allowing Williams to take full control as a primary option on offense off the bench allowed him to display his true worth. Pat chipped in 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on an efficient 9-for-17 shooting from the field.
Allowing Javonte Green to be the starting power forward with Williams coming in as the reserve may end up being the best move the Chicago Bulls could make here. Granted, certain defensive matchups will likely call for the extra size Williams provides, but all in all, putting Pat in a position where he can take a Westbrook-esque amount of shots off the bench could end up being a win-win situation for everyone involved.