The Chicago Bulls select forward Patrick Williams #4 overall.

[PhilLeotardo]

No one is comparing Williams to Ball. That never happened.

Bulls were never moving up nor considering it. There are *zero* facts to support those rumours. Just typical draft-time nonsense to get people talking & keep teams on their toes.

This draft class is not very good. It isnt great compared to 2019, and it looks downright pathetic compared to 2021

Williams was a great pick & a good gamble in a dreary draft

[CjayC]

Warriors and Wolves seemed open to it, but IDK at what cost. If Future 1sts or the right to swap picks were involved, count me out.

[sco]

If there is one thing I'd like PWill to do more of, it's drive to the hoop with the ball. The few times he's done it, I've been surprised how easily he gets all the way to the rim in the half-court. I think the problem is that when he gets the ball on the perimeter, he's been wide open (likely by design) for 3's, but he's been making them. I think he should be looking at old LBJ film to see how he utilized his combination size, strength, speed and handle.

[DuckIII]

If there is one thing I'd like PWill to do more of, it's drive to the hoop with the ball. The few times he's done it, I've been surprised how easily he gets all the way to the rim in the half-court. I think the problem is that when he gets the ball on the perimeter, he's been wide open (likely by design) for 3's, but he's been making them. I think he should be looking at old LBJ film to see how he utilized his combination size, strength, speed and handle.

It seems like it’s going to end up being his game in the long run. It needs to be. And I expect to see more of that perhaps in February/March. But we also have to keep in mind that he’s starting in order to take pressure off him (that always sounds weird) and so that he can baby-step things in the 5th option complimentary role.

Lot of mouths to feed in Chicago and he’s Oliver Twist. For now.

[BigUps]

PWill has 2 tendencies that I see right now. He's young and will grow out of them, but just a few things I see and will continue to watch during his development.

The first is that when he does dribble drive (which is rare), he primarily does so with his left hand and goes to his left side. He even brings the ball up the court with his left hand. He certainly feels more confident dribbling with his left than his right, but it leaves him in some odd finishing positions where he dribbles to his left and does a runner with his right hand (or layup).

The second tendency is that when he wants to go to his midrange jumper, he tends to go to his right for that pull up. His jumper is slick and smooth, but I can read when its happening from my couch at a pretty high rate. I was really happy to see him go to his left on a midrange jumper last night and will continue looking for that as I watch more of him.

Thats it. Nothing alarming, but just two small things I'm seeing early on.

[kodo]

If there is one thing I'd like PWill to do more of, it's drive to the hoop with the ball. The few times he's done it, I've been surprised how easily he gets all the way to the rim in the half-court. I think the problem is that when he gets the ball on the perimeter, he's been wide open (likely by design) for 3's, but he's been making them. I think he should be looking at old LBJ film to see how he utilized his combination size, strength, speed and handle.

Yeah 75% at the rim. 43% on long 2s, 50% at the 3...his scoring %s are like a veteran's. Very unassisted as well on 2 pointers.

[PlayerUp]

GSW floated WCJ and 2 for 4 and it seems like AK said no. MIN was open for business too.

It's obviously early but what these rookies have shown thus far has been very surprising. I think the no crowds has really helped them. No distractions of the partying life as well.

Surprising how so? Seems like you are pleasantly surprised? I mean so far no one has particularly played well. Edwards is averaging 15 points on 41% shooting. Wiseman is averaging 5.8 rebounds & Ball is averaging 3.5 assists and 2.5 TO a game. No rookie has stood out so far. Haliburton is playing well but taking only 6.3 shots a game.

Hailburton is a player who does a lot to help you win.

It was clear he was going to end up being a solid NBA player but majority of Bulls fans wanted Hayes because of his ceiling. So far Hayes looks like a total bust and Haliburton looks like he is in his 2nd year already.

[PlayerUp]

If there is one thing I'd like PWill to do more of, it's drive to the hoop with the ball. The few times he's done it, I've been surprised how easily he gets all the way to the rim in the half-court. I think the problem is that when he gets the ball on the perimeter, he's been wide open (likely by design) for 3's, but he's been making them. I think he should be looking at old LBJ film to see how he utilized his combination size, strength, speed and handle.

It seems like it’s going to end up being his game in the long run. It needs to be. And I expect to see more of that perhaps in February/March. But we also have to keep in mind that he’s starting in order to take pressure off him (that always sounds weird) and so that he can baby-step things in the 5th option complimentary role.

Lot of mouths to feed in Chicago and he’s Oliver Twist. For now.

Patrick Williams looks really undeveloped right now. Alot of areas he can improve especially on offense. His shot (62% TS) looks great though and that was the biggest question which shows he can improve at the next level because he has made significant progress here since we last saw him as FSU. Now he just needs to improve his skillsets, continue to add strength and add a variety of offensive skills. It could take a couple seasons before we see where this guy can be in the NBA.

This is why you draft high ceiling prospects. Take the risk even if they turn out to be total busts. Better than drafting guys who have a hard time improving at all coming into the NBA like Wendell.

[GimmeDat]

I really like that he's come in playing an efficient, low volume role. Reminds me of Jimmy when he was here early on. I prefer him to be judicious with his shot selection and slowly ramp it up. I don't feel like there's an underlying aggressiveness issue, I think he's just picking his spots, and in time he'll grow into a larger offensive role.

[cjbulls]

If there is one thing I'd like PWill to do more of, it's drive to the hoop with the ball. The few times he's done it, I've been surprised how easily he gets all the way to the rim in the half-court. I think the problem is that when he gets the ball on the perimeter, he's been wide open (likely by design) for 3's, but he's been making them. I think he should be looking at old LBJ film to see how he utilized his combination size, strength, speed and handle.

It seems like it’s going to end up being his game in the long run. It needs to be. And I expect to see more of that perhaps in February/March. But we also have to keep in mind that he’s starting in order to take pressure off him (that always sounds weird) and so that he can baby-step things in the 5th option complimentary role.

Lot of mouths to feed in Chicago and he’s Oliver Twist. For now.

Patrick Williams looks really undeveloped right now. Alot of areas he can improve especially on offense. His shot (62% TS) looks great though and that was the biggest question which shows he can improve at the next level because he has made significant progress here since we last saw him as FSU. Now he just needs to improve his skillsets, continue to add strength and add a variety of offensive skills. It could take a couple seasons before we see where this guy can be in the NBA.

This is why you draft high ceiling prospects. Take the risk even if they turn out to be total busts. Better than drafting guys who have a hard time improving at all coming into the NBA like Wendell.

The problem then remains, PW does not look like a high ceiling prospect. He hasn’t shown any elite traits or skills so I’m not sure where we should expect it from.

His realistic ceiling appears to be a strong two way forward that can be your 3rd best guy a la Porter or Deng

[cjbulls]

No one is comparing Williams to Ball. That never happened.

Bulls were never moving up nor considering it. There are *zero* facts to support those rumours. Just typical draft-time nonsense to get people talking & keep teams on their toes.

This draft class is not very good. It isnt great compared to 2019, and it looks downright pathetic compared to 2021

Williams was a great pick & a good gamble in a dreary draft

What does “there were no facts to support these rumors” mean?

Unless there is a completed trade there are no facts. Does this mean we can never say the 76ers should have traded Simmons for Harden?

We know the top two teams were begging for a trade. That’s enough to know the Bulls had a chance if they made a strong offer. They chose not to.

People like yourself should just own that. They preferred Patrick over trading up, whatever that cost was

[PlayerUp]

The problem then remains, PW does not look like a high ceiling prospect. He hasn’t shown any elite traits or skills so I’m not sure where we should expect it from.

His realistic ceiling appears to be a strong two way forward that can be your 3rd best guy a la Porter or Deng

High ceiling versus the bulk of other prospects. High Ceilings (Top 33%), Medium Ceilings (In The Middle), Low Ceilings (Bottom 33%)

Butler, Leonard, George didn't have any elite traits or skills as well. Most of these elite 2 way players just become good at pretty much everything.

[Chi town]

I really like that he's come in playing an efficient, low volume role. Reminds me of Jimmy when he was here early on. I prefer him to be judicious with his shot selection and slowly ramp it up. I don't feel like there's an underlying aggressiveness issue, I think he's just picking his spots, and in time he'll grow into a larger offensive role.

This is by BillyD design too IMO. We haven’t even used PW in PnR yet. We will in the future and I think he will produce big time on the switch.

[Chi town]

The problem then remains, PW does not look like a high ceiling prospect. He hasn’t shown any elite traits or skills so I’m not sure where we should expect it from.

His realistic ceiling appears to be a strong two way forward that can be your 3rd best guy a la Porter or Deng

High ceiling versus the bulk of other prospects. High Ceilings (Top 33%), Medium Ceilings (In The Middle), Low Ceilings (Bottom 33%)

Butler, Leonard, George didn't have any elite traits or skills as well. Most of these elite 2 way players just become good at pretty much everything.

Exactly. Well said.

[cjbulls]

The problem then remains, PW does not look like a high ceiling prospect. He hasn’t shown any elite traits or skills so I’m not sure where we should expect it from.

His realistic ceiling appears to be a strong two way forward that can be your 3rd best guy a la Porter or Deng

High ceiling versus the bulk of other prospects. High Ceilings (Top 33%), Medium Ceilings (In The Middle), Low Ceilings (Bottom 33%)

Butler, Leonard, George didn't have any elite traits or skills as well. Most of these elite 2 way players just become good at pretty much everything.

The draft is littered with guys who had those two way traits but nothing elite and didn’t make it.

I will give you Butler fit those qualities, but that makes him 1/100 guys like him that made it. He also had elite drive, something that isn’t apparent from PW. We can count on PW just as much as we could have counted on WCJ becoming Marc Gasol, so remote that it isn’t a realistic ceiling

[cjbulls]

The problem then remains, PW does not look like a high ceiling prospect. He hasn’t shown any elite traits or skills so I’m not sure where we should expect it from.

His realistic ceiling appears to be a strong two way forward that can be your 3rd best guy a la Porter or Deng

High ceiling versus the bulk of other prospects. High Ceilings (Top 33%), Medium Ceilings (In The Middle), Low Ceilings (Bottom 33%)

Butler, Leonard, George didn't have any elite traits or skills as well. Most of these elite 2 way players just become good at pretty much everything.

Exactly. Well said.

So you must have Deni as high ceiling then, right?

Or we can look at history, the 2010-2015 drafts, top half of 1st round:

Justise Winslow, Stanley Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu, Moe Harkless, the Morris brothers, Tobias Harris, Derrick Williams, Harrison Barnes, MKG, Otto, trey Lyles, Oubre.

[DroseReturnChi]

I really like that he's come in playing an efficient, low volume role. Reminds me of Jimmy when he was here early on. I prefer him to be judicious with his shot selection and slowly ramp it up. I don't feel like there's an underlying aggressiveness issue, I think he's just picking his spots, and in time he'll grow into a larger offensive role.

except he is way more skilled jimmy ever was. i will be surprised if he is not somewhere between brown and kawhi when his shooting is so much advanced yrs ahead.

[PhilLeotardo]

Jalen Brown is a 6'5 "guard" who was absolutely terrible at playing basketball, for years, and is still not great on offense, but has shockingly improved over the past 1.5 years, even though most thought he wouldn't. Williams & him don't have anything in common. Where? How are they similar? how is he similar to Butler for that matter?

[Darius Miles Davis]

I can't say I wasn't a little disappointed in the game yesterday from Williams. Yes, I suppose I should expect the first game of his professional career against Giannis to be tough, but I was hoping he would really hold up. I was a little surprised at how much smaller he looked than Giannis. I hope he is big enough to grow into the role of being a Giannis-stopper one day.

I've overall been impressed with Williams. I didn't like the pick at all at first, and I've come around. I was also dubious on Haliburton, and he's looked amazing and is probably the player that would have helped the team the most right away that was available at #4.

God, I want Cunningham or Suggs next year.

[nomorezorro]

you were surprised that a 6'9" 19 year old looked small next to a 6'11" 26 year old who is famously one of the most remarkable physical freaks in a league full of physical freaks?