Patrick Williams’ first season in the NBA was not without rookie moments. In fact, he had a handful in the Bulls’ victory over Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
It went beyond his line of statistics: 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 in 7 shot (0 in 2 of 3). On several occasions, Williams remarkably sidestepped or hesitated to attempt open firing immediately, especially behind the 3-point arc.
“It happened a lot in the last game. I thought he had a lot of shots and opportunities to kick the ball and I thought he got around them, “said coach Billy Donovan.” I think that for me and the rest of the team, we are encouraging him to (throw more). Certainly for talking to him after the game and playing against Charlotte with the zone and the way they were spinning and the readings that were there, I think it left him a little undecided. But there is no doubt that he needs to be aggressive. “
Donovan considered it his responsibility to put the ball in Williams’ hands more often. Williams refused to pass the ball.
“As a player, you want to be able to correct yourself, “he said.” But, as I said, we have excellent veterinarians. We have great guys on this team, and they are always telling me to be aggressive, of course kicking the ball when I’m open. “
And why not? Although with limited volume (8 shots per game, sixth in the team), Williams shoots 46.7% from the ground and 47.1% from the bottom (34 attempts in total) in 15 games. This includes 46.4% in catch and throw 3s and 47.2% in pull-up 2s.
In addition, when he places the ball on the ground – decisively – to attack missed hits, he shows the potential to produce strong results:
Observe Zach LaVine’s reaction in the lower right corner of the screen.
“Zach said he believes in me more than I do, which is sometimes true,” said Williams. “He just told me to keep kicking the ball, to be confident offensively and defensively, to make plays that the team knows I can do. As I said, as a player you always want to be able to correct yourself. But it’s always good and it’s always necessary to have guys in the locker room who can fix it when you need to be fixed too. “
Williams has talked in the past about the length and speed of NBA defenders who need urgency as a sniper, and teammates like Garrett Temple advising him to kick the “rhythmic dribble” he usually takes before the jumpers. These, along with, as Donovan noted, a quick reading of evolving defenses, were adjustments.
Williams has also been warned for three trips and four offensive fouls in attacks this season. His only spin of the night in Saturday’s loss to the Lakers came in an off-limits step as he tried to escape a late competition from Marc Gasol.
“Tanother thing that he has also been working on, since the guys start flying at him, because he kicked the ball very well at the beginning of the season … When he puts the ball on the ground, he has to eliminate the trip “, said Donovan. ” He has a tendency to drag his feet a little bit, and this is something that we have to work with. But he has to be decisive when shooting, passing or driving. “
No one is ringing alarm bells here. As a 19-year-old facing an unprecedentedly turbulent debut season, Williams has impressed in every corner and fit perfectly into the construction of the Bulls, starting every game in which he appeared.
Although the Lakers’ game also started off hard – he scored 2 points from 1 to 7 in the first half – Williams scored 11 points (4 to 5 FG, 2 to 3 3P) in the two-quarter final. Trash time or not, this stretch can be an incentive.
And, with the encouragement of his teammates and coaching staff, he is committed to solving problems.
“We have a long season ahead of us, so I definitely need to improve on that,” said Williams of his occasional shooting hesitation. “And (I) will continue to improve on this.”
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