It’s Opening Week in the NBA, which is a glorious time for all fans of the Association, including those with questions like you. And it’s almost another Patrick Williams edition of the mailbag already.
What will Patrick Williams have to do statistically and/or with the eye test to avoid the fans and media offering a game-by-game referendum on whether he's a bust or not? — Matt H.
Here’s a dirty little secret: Our game-by-game referendum doesn’t matter to the franchise. And franchises don’t live and die by game-by-game evaluation.
That said, Billy Donovan spelled this out pretty clearly, at least to me, on media day. He said he wanted to see consistent aggression from Williams. That doesn’t mean jacking shots. That means running the floor hard in transition, cutting hard when off the ball, decisively attacking closeouts on a live dribble, screening effectively, rebounding with force, blocking out his rebounding area and on and on and on. There are so many ways players can impact games without scoring. Exhibit A? Alex Caruso.
The Bulls continue to work with Williams to develop this.
I don’t think Patrick Williams can reach his full potential when he’s the fourth option on the team currently. I understood the Nikola Vučević trade as that showed other teams and players around the league that the Bulls were serious about winning. That helped bring in Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Actually, large offers in free agency did. But, yes, the Vučević trade helped.]
I think Artūras Karnišovas may have jumped the gun on bringing in DeMar DeRozan though. Obviously, he over-performed and beat out everyone’s expectations being named to the All-NBA second team in one of his best years in his career. I’m not discrediting what he did last year. I’m more so focused on DeRozan taking away opportunities from PWill to grow. We know what DeRozan and LaVine are going to give us every night, but we don’t know how good PWill can be. Plus, with the Bulls big three of DeRozan, LaVine, and Vooch, none of them are above average defenders which PWill has shown he can be. Without cracking PWill’s full potential, I don’t think this team can really come close to contending for a championship when your best three players are mainly offensive minded. I know this is a long point, but I think it needs to be talked about more. What are thoughts and do you see DeRozan maybe getting traded next offseason? — Cory B.
NBA
There’s a lot to unpack here. I do think Williams playing with the starters plays into his deferential nature, which is why I thought Donovan’s preseason experiment starting Javonte Green and bringing Williams off the bench was a good one. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that tried again during the season.
But as I mentioned in the first answer, you can grow and impact areas of the game without scoring. Williams didn’t do much of that in the first game. Now, it’s one game. So let’s pause for some perspective. But he needs to be more aggressive in general.
DeRozan is 33. Williams is 21. You can make a run with DeRozan and hope Williams develops and then let him take over whenever DeRozan leaves or retires. (Although I do think he possesses the type of game that will age gracefully so I don’t expect that to be for a while.) If DeRozan leaves by trade, it will mean things went very, very south this season. I don’t see that happening.
I’m wondering about literal growth — as opposed to another “aggressive” lament — for young Patrick Williams. Is he still 6 feet, 7 inches or has he reached 6-8 yet? He sure looks the athletic power forward part and was a drafted at a pretty tender age. — Matthew Cooper
The Bulls’ official roster lists him at 6-foot-7. NBA rosters are widely known to be inaccurate. But typically, the heights are listed generously. So I don’t think Williams is 6-8. I’m close to 6-4 and I’m occasionally struck by how little height some of these players have on me. Now, skill level is a different story.
Along with every other fan, I couldn’t believe Zach LaVine is already on a load management schedule. Not only on Game 1 of the season but Game 1 of a max contract. So much for the healthy knee. If this is the case, the season is already meaningless. Sorry for being pessimistic, but no Zo, a timid PWill, and a hobbled LaVine means we are relying on DeMar again — who himself said this not the recipe for success. This equals nothing but regular-season wins and a quick defeat in the playoffs. Whoopity-do. And I’m not sure what this means long-term for the salary cap, but it cannot be good to have $45M-plus per year tied up in two guards who don’t play at all or require scheduled games off. Damn, this email was a downer. But I think the LaVine news is just a huge bummer. Thoughts? — Brian N.
Thanks for the kind words that I didn’t include. They’re much appreciated. And bonus points for using “whoopity-do.” That’s solid.
While I completely agree the LaVine news is concerning, let’s see how it plays out. Perhaps he takes the first month of the season to get his knee acclimated to increased load and this blip is forgotten. But there’s no question the optics of him needing injury management for the first game of a five-year, $215 million deal aren’t great. Billy Donovan acknowledged as much in his comments to reporters in Miami.
As for cap concerns if both LaVine and Lonzo Ball’s situations remain troublesome, the Bulls would be in poor shape. Both deals are obviously fully guaranteed, and Ball has a $21.4 million player option for 2024-25. Anyone who lived through the Derrick Rose saga knows how much injuries to high-salaried players can hamstring a team.
With Ayo Dosunmu’s monster offseason paying off, do you see him staying in the starting rotation even with Lonzo Ball back? Perhaps they both are the starting backcourt while Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan take care of the forward positions? What kind of money can Ayo demand if he continues this type of play all season? — Alejandro D.
Ah, yes, some optimism to balance the pessimism.
That’s a scenario I hadn’t previously considered, and it obviously assumes health for all. I’d say it’s a lineup that could occasionally be utilized. But I don’t see it as a starting lineup as it places quite a bit of responsibility on DeRozan’s plate.
As for Dosunmu’s next deal, let’s just say the Bulls know they need to do whatever it takes to re-sign him. Let’s keep some perspective: It’s not like he’s a max player or anything. But with the cap going up eventually and his steadiness, he’s playing his way into a very nice contract that the Bulls happily will pay to keep one of their own.
Who do you see as the odd man out when Lonzo returns? And does Ayo's emergence as a true starter increase the likelihood of Billy going with a four-guard starting lineup when Lonzo returns? — Evan B.
Did you mean if Ball returns? I kid. I think. But Donovan did say the Bulls have to prepare as if he’ll miss the season. That’s more a mindset thing, though, as all indications are Ball is planning on at least trying to play this season. I’d guess around the New Year, although the Bulls are set to offer perhaps some clarity soon off their four- to six-week timeline for a re-evaluation following surgery.
I kind of addressed the four-guard lineup question in the previous answer. I don’t see Donovan using an 11-man rotation, so if Ball returns to full health and performance, somebody’s role will change. Obviously, that could be determined for the team if a player is injured. But assuming full health, which is a longshot scenario for most teams, I’d guess minutes for Coby White or Javonte Green would be affected most. It certainly won’t be Caruso. And even though the Bulls want to make sure Dragić is sharp for potential postseason play, his shooting, passing and pick-and-roll talents are needed as well.
Would a situation ever arise where Andre Drummond would start over Nikola Vučević? Would that be in the realm of possibility or is Vooch a starter no matter how badly he plays and no matter how well Drummond performs? — Cooper K.
Never say never in the world of professional sports. But your extreme example is the only scenario in which I see that happening. Vučević would have to play like Bam Adebayo did in the opening game every night and Drummond would have to play like he did during his All-Star prime.
I think both Drummond and Goran Dragić are going to be fantastic signings. Both are tough, physical professionals who can handle any role. That said, this organization values Vučević far more than a loud segment of the fan base does. They value his passing, his rebounding and his skill level. Drummond is a starting-level talent who can fill in if Vučević misses a game. But Vučević is the starter.
What role do you see the second unit playing in improving the team from last year? Even with stars out, this feels like the deepest team since 2015. — Ed B.
I think you saw it in the opener. As I’ve said and written plenty, I think the Dragić and Drummond additions will be huge. Depth is a big reason I’m not as down on this team as some prognosticators.
Curious about your thoughts on the lack of extension for Coby White. He was one of the very few players the new regime held onto, so it seems surprising that they could now lose him for nothing. All it takes is a big offer from a bad team next offseason. He has already proven he can't handle running point, so what do you imagine the front office is looking to see from him this season as they decide whether to extend more than a qualifying offer next offseason? — Piet
Given that the two sides couldn’t reach agreement, it’s less what the front office is looking for from Coby and more what the front office is looking for from his restricted free agent market. If it’s not outlandish, I can see them matching or trying to execute a sign-and-trade like they did with Lauri Markkanen. Losing assets for nothing, particularly for a franchise short on draft picks, isn’t ideal.
Why does PWill continue to shoot 3-pointers? Is the coaching staff encouraging him? Most are under pressure and does anyone really think he’s a 35 percent guy? I can’t remember seeing too many players with his raw talent who don’t have any understanding of their own offensive game. — Joe K
This is the last PWill question. And, hey, at least he’s shooting something.
I don’t think his volume is that high. And other than attacking the lane for that short pull-up or transition opportunities, this shot is going to be available for him at times because of the defensive attention on DeRozan and LaVine.
I know it’s been one game, but Ayo looked solid last night, not to mention last year. He looks ready to take another step. Curious what you think his ceiling is?
It’s also so good to have a kid from Chicago on the team again. I think I’m missing some obvious ones possibly, but outside of DRose and Ayo have there been other significant Bulls who grew up in Chicago? — Peter G.
You are missing some obvious ones and some not-so-obvious ones. If you include suburbs, here’s one stab at a list with their high schools included.
Mickey Johnson (Lindblom); Jawann Oldham (born in Chicago, high school in Seattle); Dave Corzine (Hersey); Craig Hodges (Rich East); Randy Brown (Collins); Hersey Hawkins (Westinghouse); Eddy Curry (Thornwood); Kendall Gill (Rich Central); Jannero Pargo (Robeson); Nazr Mohammed (Kenwood); Dwyane Wade (Richards); Jabari Parker (Simeon).
As for Dosunmu, I always say: Whatever his ceiling is, he’ll reach it.
Are we ever gonna see Marko Simonović get significant minutes??? — Leo V.
All you gotta do is drive to Hoffman Estates, where the Windy City Bulls play.
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