The Bulls were feeling great about their 4-0 start.
But bad news has hit Chicago like ton of bricks.
In the Bulls’ loss to the Knicks last night, starting power forward Patrick Williams injured his wrist.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a left wrist dislocation, source tells ESPN. He will undergo surgery soon.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 29, 2021
Williams suffered a perilunate dislocation, source tells ESPN. There's hope a timetable on a return could include the playoffs, but as Billy Donovan told reporters today, this is a "pretty significant wrist injury." https://t.co/yyBgDirBBE
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 29, 2021
What a bummer for Williams and Chicago.
The No. 4 pick in last year’s draft, Williams is the youngest player on the roster. He had a key role – and growth opportunities – on a team built to win now. That was in part because the Bulls prioritized his development, in part because they lack depth at his position.
Though he started, Williams wasn’t in Chicago’s closing lineup. Alex Caruso finished games with the other starters (Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic). Perhaps, the Bulls lean more heavily on that small lineup. But that can be taxing on DeRozan as nominal power forward, whichever of the guards matches up with a bigger small forward and even Vucevic covering the interior with smaller players behind him.
Javonte Green, Troy Brown Jr. and Alize Johnson could get more playing time. Derrick Jones Jr. might join the rotation.
But Chicago just has no good way of replacing the 6-foot-7 Williams’ size, athleticism, defensive tools and spot-up 3-point shooting. Though they can hope Williams returns for the playoffs, the Bulls are less likely to make the postseason without him.
Long term, Williams will also miss opportunities to work on his expanding offensive game. The 20-year-old still has major untapped upside.
This news just stinks in every way.
