There are many questions surrounding the Bulls with training camp starting this week.
Then again, most NBA teams without a Steph Curry and four championship rings are dealing with that kind of scrutiny this time of year.
Health, rookies finding their way, veterans adding to the arsenal of their game, new faces and the chemistry they bring . . . go down the list.
What’s different for the Bulls, however, is there’s really only one key that matters over the next few weeks and months, followed by a bunch of intriguing subplots.
Lonzo Ball’s latest knee surgery will have all ears perked up with each re-evaluation, and first-round pick Dalen Terry’s growth will be watched. But make no mistake where the success of this team starts and finishes. Hint: Hope you enjoyed your summer break, Patrick Williams.
Is it unfair to put this kind of pressure on a player who just became old enough to legally drink last month? Maybe. But that’s the business Williams signed up for after the Bulls made him the fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Look no further than in Toronto, where Scottie Barnes has become the face of the franchise. Barnes was selected No. 4 by the Raptors a year after Williams.
By Year 2, Jaren Jackson Jr. was averaging 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks for the Grizzlies.
Yes, a No. 4 pick back in 2018.
The Bulls’ front office made Williams its first significant foundation piece after the old regime was ousted, and now it needs to see some return.
The 6-7 Williams not only needs to start playing like a difference-maker, but he is the difference between the Bulls toiling in mediocrity or being one of those Eastern Conference juggernauts hosting a first-round playoff series.
It’s a weight that he seemed very aware of carrying when he last spoke to the media.
“Consistency,’’ Williams said during his exit interview when asked what he needed to work on heading into his third season. “Just having my presence felt on the game consistently I think could be a next step.’’
He thinks?
No, that has to be the next step. Williams not only has to start showing he can be a consistent defensive stopper but also a guy who can put up 20 points and grab eight rebounds on the same night he demoralizes an opposing wing.
If he can’t, sure, the Bulls are still a playoff team, but one that better pack lightly in that first round.
The other subplots:
1. Ball out?
The organization that promised transparency a few years ago is back to cloak-and-dagger, especially when it has involved Ball’s knee. The latest news to come out this week was that Ball would be sidelined for the next four to six weeks after surgery Wednesday to remove debris. That means not only will he miss all of camp, but also the start of the regular season.
2. The Vooch
Center Nikola Vucevic’s strength in this offense is to be able to play pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. That means being able to facilitate or knock down the three. He was fine with the first, but his 31.4% shooting from three-point range was a career worst since he started taking the shot regularly. The Bulls hope that was an aberration rather than a trend.
3. Pressure cooker
It has been easy for LaVine to handle success and failure making $19 million a year, but now he’s a max player who will earn $49 million in the final season of his five-year, $215 million venture. The spotlight has never been warmer.
4. Old man Dragic
At 36, Goran Dragic is the oldest player on the roster. With Ball sidelined early on, Dragic could go from under-the-radar offseason addition to essential starter very quickly.
