The Chicago Bulls select forward Patrick Williams #4 overall.

[TheFinishSniper]

If you believe that Detroit was willing to trade ahead of Chicago for him, and if you concur that his tape and scouting report is not impressive, wouldn't it have made much more sense for the Bulls to trade him to Detroit? Assuming Detroit *was* interested in him enough to trade for the #3, that would mean that the Bulls FO was 110% dedicated to drafting this kid. They would have had no one ranked as high as him on their board that they wouldn't be willing to give him over to Detroit for extra draft capital.

Thats true. But maybe Pistons didnt had assets to make a deal. Bulls likely valued Williams more than whatever Pistons were offering.

[MrSparkle]

If you’re 6’8, 230 lb, athletic, in-shape, and you have no real flaws on the court, you are pretty much a floor NBA top-8 rotation player with ceiling, depending on work ethic and personality. Few guys come to mind who disappointed in this mold (JJ for us), but that could’ve been more on Thibs and the fit at the time. I actually think JJ would’ve been very useful in the Miami series; let Boozer ride the pine.

PW has a gigantic shoulder frame and seems to be all-muscle, with hops and speed.

Nice thing is he should be easy to develop. Good attitude, good shot form, good base-handles, good awareness.

Honestly, he’s got more going for him than a lot of other picks. If I’m GSW, I start sweating whether taking Wiseman and running was the ticket. That dude has a lot of things to learn, whereas Patrick would’ve been the Dray/Paschall type with a humble attitude. GS built all its success (on the Splash Bros) with versatile hybrid wings and junk-stock centers, not the other way around. If Klay is indeed lost for the year, I’m panicking. Cause that team is in major offensive trouble if Curry is supposed to open the floor for 3 space-killers.

Anyway, this will be easy to evaluate within a year. We’ll see more Ayton/Bagley types then Luka/Trae, so if we got the JJJ or Shai quality out the draft, that’d be great. If he’s a Crowder/Harrell/JJ at worse, atleast he can address this team’s pitiful defensive situation at forward?

[KissedByaRose1]

After a night to think about it . . . still not impressed. His upside seems to be a role player and his downside is bust. The tape on him really isn't impressive at all.

I'm looking for pro's here. I struggle to find many. He plays like a 4 and as such, is actually undersized. His shooting form is really slow. He is going to have to get a ton of room to shoot. His handle is mediocre. He isn't particularly quick on the floor. His best asset is as a help defender. He looks like a shorter Wendell Carter from where I am sitting.

If anyone taken behind PW does well, AK is going to get a lot of grief here.

The only sliver of hope is that this is a Jimmy Butler type situation where the guy works his ass off to become a completely different player in a few years.

AK seems to be putting a ton on the idea that he can develop players better than other teams. If so, that's fantastic. He will have to walk the walk though.

Agree with you on almost everything but i see something completely different in the tape. I've said before i think he's going to develop the same way Jayeln Brown/PG did and by year 3 or 4 we're going to see a + defender with a good to great offensive game. Dude was 18 years old when the college season started and he came off the bench on a FSU team that was ranked 5 in the nation. If he was in a situation like Ball/Hayes/Edwards where everything was designed to make him look good I'm pretty certain you'd see more of what he was capable of. The being a PG in high school is a ton of reason for my optimism. He already has a decent handle and his shot form is solid/83% from the line.

year 1-He'll average less than 15 minutes and be green as hell/might make a good play on Defense that dazzle
year 2- more complete and a solid rotation player
year 3/4 and i think we're going to be talking about AS games for this guy.

He's also a lot stronger than both of those guys were coming out and I think we could see him get to the line a lot. Not a prospect you see and think he needs to be in the weight room for 1-2 years before he's ready to compete with men. Of course this is wishful thinking and he could end up being Marvin Williams. Willing to bet tho once he's in a much more free flowing NBA system that he'll look less like a PF and be used more in a way the above guys are mentioned. I think we lucked out huge getting Arturas .If you look at how Denver has drafted the last 5 years they've been the best in the league and it hasn't been close IMO.

He also got an international player that we can stash away for a year where he's proven to be the best in the business at evaluating and this Dotson kid was projected to go late 1st round and will have the typical "chip on his shoulder" BS that could end up being a rotation player down the line at a position of need. Maybe i'm drinking the cool aid but last night confirmed to me we finally can be associated with the smart, forward thinking franchises of the league.

[Big Pippen]

Great post, sparkle.

Patrick could fail for a number of reasons, but I think his frame, strength, speed, and base skills are really promising.

As I project what our identity will be, Williams and Carter are two guys with the potential to be physically overpowering, not in the jump out of the gym way, but in the beat you to a spot and muscle you way. I doubt either are >20ppg guys, but of they are athletic and physical and active and disruptive, we get plenty of offense from Lauri, Zach, and Coby. Kind of reminds me of how the Pacers beat you down with the two Davis boys, then got offense from the other spots. Of course, Carter and Williams project to have better shooting range and switchability than Antonio and Dale.

[Clint Eastwood]

Thank god Im not a basketball analyst/scout. Im watching 100s of video of PWill...Not impressed at all...Looking at the videos I wonder what caught Bulls attention.

I dont think he is super athletic. Hes got a nice body but I dont think he is athletic at all...Hes not a dunker that plays above the rim...His first step is meh...lateral move is meh...Shooting form is nice but is slow...He moves like a robot...damn...I know Im wrong...just giving the eye test from a basketball fan...Again thank god AK is in charge and not me

Lets go Bulls! Good luck PWILL!!!!!

It is amazing to me that you watched 100s of videos on him and think he isnt a dunker who plays above the rim. Please go rewatch the videos. I saw a guy with his head above the rim with long arms dunking with ferocity.

[Mbrahv0528]

Thank god Im not a basketball analyst/scout. Im watching 100s of video of PWill...Not impressed at all...Looking at the videos I wonder what caught Bulls attention.

I dont think he is super athletic. Hes got a nice body but I dont think he is athletic at all...Hes not a dunker that plays above the rim...His first step is meh...lateral move is meh...Shooting form is nice but is slow...He moves like a robot...damn...I know Im wrong...just giving the eye test from a basketball fan...Again thank god AK is in charge and not me

Lets go Bulls! Good luck PWILL!!!!!

This is literally the opposite of his scouting report and the antithesis of why the Bulls drafted him.

Sent from my SM-F707U using RealGM mobile app

[cjbulls]

If you’re 6’8, 230 lb, athletic, in-shape, and you have no real flaws on the court, you are pretty much a floor NBA top-8 rotation player with ceiling, depending on work ethic and personality. Few guys come to mind who disappointed in this mold (JJ for us), but that could’ve been more on Thibs and the fit at the time. I actually think JJ would’ve been very useful in the Miami series; let Boozer ride the pine.

PW has a gigantic shoulder frame and seems to be all-muscle, with hops and speed.

Nice thing is he should be easy to develop. Good attitude, good shot form, good base-handles, good awareness.

Honestly, he’s got more going for him than a lot of other picks. If I’m GSW, I start sweating whether taking Wiseman and running was the ticket. That dude has a lot of things to learn, whereas Patrick would’ve been the Dray/Paschall type with a humble attitude. GS built all its success (on the Splash Bros) with versatile hybrid wings and junk-stock centers, not the other way around. If Klay is indeed lost for the year, I’m panicking. Cause that team is in major offensive trouble if Curry is supposed to open the floor for 3 space-killers.

Anyway, this will be easy to evaluate within a year. We’ll see more Ayton/Bagley types then Luka/Trae, so if we got the JJJ or Shai quality out the draft, that’d be great. If he’s a Crowder/Harrell/JJ at worse, atleast he can address this team’s pitiful defensive situation at forward?

Combo forwards roughly fitting Patrick's profile

Nassir Little
DeAndre Hunter
James Johnson
Derrick Williams
James Posey
OG Anunoby
Stanley Johnson
Justise Winslow
Trey Lyles
Harrison Barnes
Mo Harkless

This is not a murderers row, most of these guys aren't even NBA starters. None made an all-star team.

[chefo]

Williams has a very thick frame... would not surprise me if he's actually heavier than listed. He looks like a taller young Artest/Meta--tree trunks for legs and wide shoulders. Good to hear he's not a lost cause between the ears.

Just as when I wrote about Vessell, same thing holds for him. FSU last year had the KU problem of being waaay too stacked in a very spread-the-wealth system on O. Very. So, it's very difficult to tell how any individual pans out. What you can usually bank on is that if the kid was an athletic freak like say Isaac, their D usually translates well. Isaac, BTW, was probably the Magic's second best player before he went down, no matter what the stats say. They were a different team with him on the floor.

Not saying Williams is the same player, but they played the same position on FSU. Isaac is longer, but Williams is much thicker. Both play above the rim and are very good team defenders.

If he can have the same impact as Isaac (second best player on a low seed), then you've done well all things considered.

[2018C3]

I can't really say that this draft has left me upset, or happy. We did not get Wiseman, and he was the guy I wanted, we also avoided a few guys I was not high on like Deni.

I do not know enough about Patrick Williams to have much of a opinion, (He was off my radar). His size and nba build is intriguing. I look forward to seeing more of what AK had seen in him in order to draft him this high. I can not knock or praise the pick, and will need to wait and see what Williams is capable of.

I was also surprised Nate Hinton did not get drafted, He was another guy I wanted.

[Shill]

He plays like a 4 and as such, is actually undersized. His shooting form is really slow. He is going to have to get a ton of room to shoot. His handle is mediocre. He isn't particularly quick on the floor. His best asset is as a help defender. He looks like a shorter Wendell Carter from where I am sitting.

I had a similar critique about Michael Porter Jr (without the help defender potential), and he looks to be good player, so I'm going to reserve judgment.

We'll see if this staff can develop him.

[gobullschi]

Does he remind anyone of Thaddeus Young? That’s his floor IMO.

[PaKii94]

So Patrick Williams is interesting in that you have a real difference between the stats, the "overall eye test," and then "the flashes" and maybe "the pedigree."

The stats from college are unimpressive. He didn't have a frosh impact - guys like Stanley Johnson, Justise Winslow, MKG, Pascal Siakam, Tobias Harris, Maurice Harkless all averaged 12 or more points per contest. Very good FT shooter, though, which distinguishes him from those guys, and his frosh stats are comparable to Oubre, RHJ, Nassir Little, so there have been recent high draft picks with similar stat profiles.

But the biggest difference is between the "overall eye test" (which matches the draft profile from the Stepian) and the "flashes." If you just go watch FSU youtubes (I watched a lot because of Vassell) - Williams comes across as a small, "energy" (6'7/6'8) 4. His play lacks the short area quickness, change-of-direction, and "bend" that you want from a modern wing . While Vassell played like a wing - Williams played like a forward - but without big rebounding numbers (Vassell and Williams had nearly identical per36 rebounding). Obviously, Vassell was a sophomore vs. Williams a frosh, and Vassell wasn't as good as Williams as a frosh.

But when you look at the highlights of just Patrick Williams, you start to see flashes of something more. Flashes of (inconsistent) ball handling and passing ability. Flashes of shooting ability both and off-the-catch and the bounce. Flashes of bend and short area quickness on both ends. Flashes of a guy who could play the 3 in the NBA.

It's unusual to have this kind level of difference between the "guy you usually see" and the "flashes." Most of the time, you see a guy who looks like the same player, but just better - the better pass, the shot that goes in, the better handle (think Tony Snell on those occasions where his shot was going in and he was playing with confidence). With Williams, it's almost like two different players . Here's hoping the "flashes" are the flower that's just about to bloom.

It’ll be interesting to see this whole draft pan out. I spent less time checking out PW than every other guy in the lottery. My quick impression is:

- He’ll play steady minutes right away, off the bench.
- He has no flaws/red flags.
- He has excellent size and athleticism, should be a multi-position NBA defender.

So honestly, this was probably a smart pick beyond the alarming college role and stats. Because literally every other guy I deep scanned in this draft had atleast one major red flag, and it’s been all we talked about the last 6 months - how flawed this draft is at the top.

Williams can very well become a jack-of-all-trades bench guy. I’m not nervous about him totally busting and being a locker-room drama though. I see legit chances of the top-3 becoming huge headaches if they don’t get the minutes they’d like, or shoot terrible 3P% and get asked to dial down shot selection.

And Hayes, Okongwu, Okoro and Deni also seemed like luke-warm role-player projects. All are questionable shooters. If Hayes does pan out, he’ll be the best I think. But he was also a tough call, favoring one hand, rather lame first-step and foot-speed, a funky “showcase” situation at his club, and pretty mediocre 3P shooting. He’ll be glad to have Rose as a locker-room mentor.

That's my impression of pwilly too. He doesn't have any fatal flaws like the other top prospects and he showed flashes of everything, ball handling, shot creation, 1-4 defense, shot making, finishing, some playmaking.

He just needs to put it all together and refine it. It's a bunch of small steps compared to others havening to climb a mountain to overcome their fatal flaws.

Anyway I'm excited we finally have a big wing in our roster!! Been asking for one since 2016!

[cjbulls]

Does he remind anyone of Thaddeus Young? That’s his floor IMO.

You can't just point to successful NBA players and then say that's the floor (although the comp is close enough to be fair). There are several players in that mold that are far worse than Young. It also seems to imply that Young did not reach his potential, which no one really agrees with. Young filled out as a starting NBA player, but there isn't much room to say he should have been better, let alone an All-Star as you would hope to get at #4 on your reach pick.

[waffle]

Thank god Im not a basketball analyst/scout. Im watching 100s of video of PWill...Not impressed at all...Looking at the videos I wonder what caught Bulls attention.

I dont think he is super athletic. Hes got a nice body but I dont think he is athletic at all...Hes not a dunker that plays above the rim...His first step is meh...lateral move is meh...Shooting form is nice but is slow...He moves like a robot...damn...I know Im wrong...just giving the eye test from a basketball fan...Again thank god AK is in charge and not me

Lets go Bulls! Good luck PWILL!!!!!

It is amazing to me that you watched 100s of videos on him and think he isnt a dunker who plays above the rim. Please go rewatch the videos. I saw a guy with his head above the rim with long arms dunking with ferocity.

The lad has easy hops....

[waffle]

he reminds me of Artest...Hopefully not as nutty

[rtblues]

TJ Warren comp here...

[dougthonus]

Overall, this draft was terrible. One of the worst I have seen. Even in bad drafts there will be gems though. Those guys are the people who work the hardest and want it the most. That's also the aspect that us fans have absolutely no clue on because its away from our eyes.

I deeply hope you and the other people being positive are right. The player who was at FSU last year is not someone I would use a top 10 pick on, let alone #4.

Maybe AK has this whole system in mind where he brings in people with elite size and a good attitude and he teaches them how to play. If so, that bodes very well for the Bulls going forward.

OTOH, its not like no one has thought of that before. Drafting a project and developing them is as old as drafting. Its been my life experience that people are frequently all talk and no results. I'm not going to bank on something happening just because the new guy says it will.

I wouldn't bet on us being able to develop people better than the next team. I'm speculating that Williams developed himself well in the gap that we couldn't see and have no insight into, and that when he worked out with a bunch of teams, they saw that development which already happened and then were willing to gamble on more.

That's why he rose up the charts so much.

That said, I agree with you, I was not excited about Williams, he wasn't in my top 10. Maybe none of the above happened and we'll go down as crying over our beer about this pick too. That wouldn't surprise me.

In this draft, I don't mind gambling on upside, if we feel there is really upside there. My problem with Williams is that watching him, I didn't even think he was that type of athletic prospect. To me Okoro would have been that guy, but they're banking on him having offense is my guess.

[bad knees]

The morning after I am feeling much better about this pick. Love his NBA-prototype body, love his PG history in high school, love his attitude and work ethic, see promise offensively in the limited film we have and his FT percentage, and see great potential defensively. In a weak draft, I think AK made the right choice in taking a shot at a very young player with huge upside in today's NBA.

I don't expect him to contribute much this year. The good news is that the season starts in a month, so we will all be able to see his progress or lack thereof soon.

[atlantabbq99]

It's a weird pick by the Bulls, but to be honest, Patrick Williams does remind me of Larry Johnson, so here is hoping he can develop into something close to the L-Train

[Chi town]

https://youtu.be/OGPbNHCxQMM

PW looks more like a wing in his HS highlights. Flashes more of a handle.

Great points by so many about the FSU system etc.

I think he has high upside and ceiling. I still wanted Deni due to the playmaking but I think PW will grow into a Jaylen Brown type wing that could replace Lauri if he doesn’t improve. I think he can play 3 or 4 and may have an advantage at both with his size and quickness while being able to defend both without a problem.