The Miami Heat expelled the Chicago Bulls for the third straight season from the postseason. Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins combined to score 58 points (38 from Herro) on the Bulls' lackluster defense. The duo converted 21-of-39 field goals and 7-of-16 three-pointers in the 109-90 victory.
If there's any takeaway, Chicago sure could have used a staunch perimeter defender to limit at least one of Miami's offensive focal points. But wait… doesn't Chicago roster a 6-foot-7, 215-pound plus-athlete with a 7-foot wingspan supposedly capable of slowing down most opposing wings? Yes, the Bulls hypothetically do. That player is none other than Patrick Williams. The former fourth-overall pick who signed a five-year, $90 million contract last offseason.
However, the 23-year-old didn't receive much of an opportunity to make his mark against the Heat. And, in the opportunity he did have, he went radio silent. In 15 minutes, Williams failed to convert a field goal (0-of-2) and finished the contest with two rebounds and a steal. He recorded a plus/minus of minus-9.
On a positive note, Williams defended Wiggins for nearly three minutes. He held the Miami forward to a 1-of-3 conversion rate from the field. Perhaps most notably, his opposition shot 4-of-9 when Williams was the primary defender. Despite a solid defensive performance, Head Coach Billy Donovan didn't feel comfortable keeping the 23-year-old on the floor for extended action.
Patrick Williams endured a rocky season
Following a slow start to the 2024-25 campaign, Williams elevated his play in November before going on the mend with inflammation in his surgically repaired foot. He returned in December to repeat a similar progress—a slow start followed by a stretch of double-digit scoring efforts.
Then, January came along. Williams scored in the single digits in 10 of 13 starting appearances in January. After a two-point, 1-of-9 outing in a 12-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Donovan made a drastic change, swapping Williams for Ayo Dosunmu, and ultimately Matas Buzelis, once Zach LaVine was jettisoned at the trade deadline.
The Florida State product never regained his spot in the starting lineup. He averaged merely 7.5 points per game in February and 7.8 in March. Aside from his poor counting stats, Williams' efficiency plummeted. He converted less than 36 percent of his field goals in January and February before bumping his field goal percentage to 44.0 percent in March.
The fifth-year forward ended the season averaging 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. Williams converted 39.7 percent of his field goals and 35.3 percent of his three-pointers. Among 204 qualifiers, Williams ranked 192nd in true shooting percentage. His 51.2 true shooting percentage was by far a career-worst.
Arturas Karnisovas has enabled Williams' stagnation
It wasn't the easiest year for Williams, and it came at the second-most inopportune time of his career. Of course, the most inopportune would have been last year, on the heels of restricted free agency. Nonetheless, who's to know if Chicago would have still signed the former fourth-overall to a five-year, $90 million extension after stringing together his worst professional campaign? It's certainly a possibility. A possibility fueled by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Arturas Karnisovas.
Bulls exec VP Artūras Karnišovas said Patrick Williams "had a tough year" and both Williams and organization had higher expectations. Said Williams now is fully healthy and he's excited to see how forward responds next season.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 17, 2025
In his end-of-season press conference, Karnisovas backed Williams, stating he had a "tough year." While true, inefficiency and injuries plagued the forward, the Vice President of Basketball Operations then lamented he's excited to see how Williams responds next season.
Sure, that would be a reasonable response if this scenario had occurred four years ago, when Williams tore ligaments in his wrist as a 20-year-old, coming off a respectable rookie campaign. Mind you, Karnisovas' sentiment comes nearly a year after Williams signed a $90 million extension. A season in which the fifth-year forward averaged career lows across the board.
There's no plausible reason to be excited for what's to come anymore. After five years, Williams has lost his luster. Yes, he's still only 23 years old, but that can only take him so far. The same phrase has been used for years. We may even hear, "he's only 25," after averaging close to nine or 10 points for the seventh-straight season.
Karnisovas likely has and is playing the role of enabler. For what it's worth, Williams was Karnisovas' first draft pick after taking over as VP of Basketball Operations in 2020. Whether he has a soft spot for Williams, we don't know, but it certainly appears the Bulls executive has a delusional lens when assessing the stagnating forward.