In their first game of the In-Season Tournament, the Chicago Bulls fell to the Brooklyn Nets by a score of 109-107. It was a close contest throughout, but in the end, the Nets were able to eke out a win over Chicago despite the Bulls’ attempt at a starting lineup change for the first time this season.
Head coach Billy Donovan moved Patrick Williams to the bench amid his early-season struggles. The 22-year-old looked rough through the Bulls’ first few games, but against the Nets, he shot 2-of-3 form deep and put up 10 points. Unfortunately, it didn’t result in a Bulls win.
After the game, Williams spoke about his move to the bench.
“I mean, I always carry a chip on my shoulder,” Williams said via Will Gottlieb of CHGO Sports. “Any chance I get, I attack it. It kind of gets you going in a sense.”
Williams also noted the balance between attacking himself vs. playing off of the Bulls’ stars.
“Just being able to do both,” Williams said. “When it’s my time to step up and make plays and be more ball dominant, I can do that. There’s gonna be mistakes. There’ll be turnovers and it’s all about learning to fail and getting better from it. When those guys have it going, just being a complimentary piece,” he continued. “Doing what I can defensively again, hitting open shots, cutting, offensive rebounds, things like that. I don’t want to lock myself into one type of role. I feel like I can do both pretty well.”
Williams reaching his full potential will be crucial to Chicago’s success moving forward.
