The Bulls’ most important asset is hiding in plain sight

The Bulls’ most important asset is hiding in plain sight.

Patrick Williams is the Bulls’ best building block and trade piece.  New Orleans Pelicans v Chicago Bulls

New Orleans Pelicans v Chicago Bulls / Michael Reaves/GettyImages

It’s been said time and time again, but it’ll continue to ring true until the Chicago Bulls front office decides on its ultimate direction—Chicago is stuck in purgatory. The Bulls don’t possess the talent to compete with the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics. However, Chicago’s roster trumps that of the Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets.

 

The Bulls roster six players who average double-digit points, eight who average a three-pointer, and six who average 3.0 or more assists per game. The offensive potential is easily identifiable. Nevertheless, the Bulls’ defensive ceiling is extremely low. Chicago has allowed 110 or more points in eight consecutive contests capped off by allowing a 144-point outburst to the Cleveland Cavaliers in its first game of the NBA Cup.  The Cavs connected on 54.8 percent of its field goals and 48.8 percent of its triples. Chicago was unable to deter Cleveland from easy buckets and open looks, although it is worth noting Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland’s shotmaking transcended quality defense. Furthermore, the Bulls failed, once again, to record double-digit steals—the 11th such instance this season. Chicago ranks a paltry 24th in steals and 27th in blocks per game.

 

There’s no fix-all to reviving Chicago’s porous defensive unit. It starts from the interior, with Nikola Vucevic, but it doesn’t end there. The Bulls’ triumvirate on the perimeter has struggled to defend opposing backcourts this season. Chicago has been far better on the defensive end without Coby White, Josh Giddey, and Ayo Dosonmu on the floor. Zach LaVine has been an outlier thus far (-6.9 points per 100 possessions), but he’s been a net negative on the defensive end throughout his career.  The Bulls have miscast Patrick Williams

Who is the lone starter yet to be mentioned? Patrick Williams. Williams is the only Chicago starter who’s proven to be a valuable asset on the defensive end. Chicago is nearly a point per 100 possessions worse when Williams is off the court. Despite the minimal difference, it’s important to identify any defensive positives on a Bulls team allowing the second most points per game this season.  The 6-foot-8 forward is versatile on both ends of the floor. Yet, his positioning in Chicago’s lineup has pigeon-holed Williams into a power forward. The 23-year-old has spent most of his time defending opposing fours. Williams’ top three matchups have been Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paolo Banchero, and Julius Randle this season. Albeit on a small sample size, Williams has actually defended guards to more tremendous success. For instance, he’s forced Mitchell, Garland, and Luka Doncic to shoot 40 percent or worse from the floor.  On the offensive end, Williams’ playmaking growth has ostensibly been stunted. The fifth-year forward has suited up next to LaVine, White, Dosonmu, Giddey, and DeMar DeRozan for his career. Williams has averaged just 1.4 assists across 226 appearances. However, Williams’ assist totals are up after playing without DeRozan for the first time in his young career. The Florida State product is averaging 2.5 assists per game this season.  Against Cleveland, Williams recorded nine assists—a career-high. Watching the highlight tapes won’t promote any of Williams’ dishes, but it’s evident he’s become a more decisive player. Williams continuously made the correct reads, dishing to open shooters upon drawing multiple defenders and making the extra pass to get his team better looks. Aside from his team-leading nine assists, Williams scored 17 points, grabbed three rebounds, and led the Bulls’ starters in plus/minus.    Williams is Chicago’s best building block and trade piece

Availability, indecisiveness, and passivity have plagued Williams throughout his five-year career. Williams averages just 53.3 appearances per season and has never seen his usage rate surpass 17 percent. This season appears to be different. The 6-foot-8 forward has played in all 13 games and has seen an uptick in on-ball reps. Williams ranks fifth on the team in drives, sixth in touches, and sixth in field goal attempts.   While there’s another level of assertiveness for Williams to unlock, his last eight games are encouraging. Patrick averages 12.8 points on 8.8 field goal attempts per game in November. He’s knocking down 45.7 percent of his field goals and 44.7 percent of his triples over the same timeline. If anything, Williams needs to shoot more.   Even though he played four-plus NBA seasons, Williams has yet to scrape his high-ceiling. For starters, a small-forward repositioning would do the former fourth-overall pick wonders. He last played the small forward spot in his rookie season. However, drafting Matas Buzelis may signal a move to the three in the coming months. If such circumstances were to occur, it’d mean Chicago would have dealt one of LaVine or Vucevic.  Sure, Williams may net the most significant trade return due to his versatility, but the same versatility also means he is most valuable to the Bulls’ future. Every team needs its 6-foot-7-plus combo forward, and Williams is that guy. He’s comfortable playing multiple positions and threatening both on and off the ball. There’s no reason for Chicago to trade away their unassuming do-it-all wing on a whim, but if the right offer comes the Bulls’ way, he might be equally expendable.