1. Patrick Williams
Set to hit restricted free agency next summer, Patrick Williams has all the motivation he needs to come out strong this season. Especially if the reports of his desired price tag creeping into the realm of nine figures prove to be true, he’d need to display quite a substantial growth in development.
Unfortunately, Williams seems to have reverted into his shell further than ever. Blame the ball-dominant ways of Chicago’s All-Star trio all you want, there’s simply no excuse for Pat to continue being so passive if he’s truly as talented and capable as the front office saw in him when they selected him fourth overall.
The Bulls will never reach their full potential if Patrick Williams doesn’t progress into a true starting-caliber forward.
Williams is averaging career lows in nearly every statistical category, including marks of 5.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 21.4% shooting from beyond the arc. He’s also posting a ridiculously poor -6.4 BPM, the 6th worst in the entire NBA among all players to register 150 minutes of playtime thus far. No matter how good his defense is, it will never be enough to compensate for this atrocious performance on offense and on the glass.
It really speaks volumes that an average role player like Torrey Craig was able to usurp the starting role from Williams so soon. During his three seasons in the NBA, Pat has displayed all the tools necessary to enjoy a long and successful career in the NBA. But if he won’t take advantage of the opportunities in front of him, it’s just as likely that he’ll be out of the league by the time the next three seasons have concluded.