Internally, as the Chicago Bulls prepare for the season, hopes are high. But from the outside looking in, Chicago appears more like an 11th seed than a team fighting for playoff positioning. They have three All-Stars at the top of the roster, but it hasn’t been enough over the course of the past two seasons.
Now, heading into this year, they’ll need other guys outside of their top three to step up into larger roles. They added a couple of role players in free agency this summer, but above all, they need some of their younger players to take massive leaps forward if they hope to compete for the postseason.
One of those guys is Patrick Williams, and Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report believes he could be a breakout player for the Bulls this year.
“He must become more assertive and add more to his offensive bag,” Buckley wrote. “He is too talented to keep being stuck in the three-and-D role he has largely filled to this point.
“If he makes some improvements, though, this is one of those situations where the sky is the limit in terms of how much better he can get. Nothing would mean more to Chicago’s season than Williams becoming the star wing who can take this roster to the next level.”
Williams is already one of the best defenders on the roster, but the Bulls need him to take the next steps offensively if they want him to become the best version of himself, and in turn, if they want to become the best versions of themselves as a team.