Chicago Bulls: Patrick Williams shows off new and improved offense

In their summer league opener, Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams showed off an improved offensive game that should have left fans very optimistic about his future despite the team losing to New Orleans. Even though they lost, it was clear that Patrick Williams was living in the gym this offseason which bodes well for the Chicago Bulls this upcoming season.

Looking at the box score might not blow you away but don’t get it twisted: Patrick Williams is going to be an absolute stud this season. In his 35 minutes, he put up 15 points with 12 rebounds and added 3 assists. He displayed an aggressiveness that only ever flashed at moments during his rookie year, let alone entire games like it did on Monday versus the Pelicans.

Additionally, some fans might look at his field goal percentage and criticize Williams for his 30 percent shooting performance. However, these people are looking at the wrong statistic. What should grab everyone’s attention is that Patrick Williams attempted 20 field goals!

Last season, fans were begging Williams to be more aggressive and carve out a role in the offense that was greater than simply being a spot-up shooter. It appears that Williams got similar advice from the coaching staff and his teammates this offseason as he came into the summer league ready to show off a treasure chest of moves that, if further developed, have him on pace to be a consistent 20 point-per-game player in this league.

Patrick Williams will be a big offensive threat for the Chicago Bulls going forward.

I saw Williams pulling the trigger on threes with more confidence, I saw him drive to the lane with more aggressiveness and I saw him work on more difficult shots from the post. He might not have been efficient but his confidence to unveil this game speaks to his determination to be great and his commitment to becoming a more consistent and dangerous offensive threat.

If Patrick Williams can utilize the summer league to build consistency within his already improved offensive game, the Chicago Bulls starting lineup in 2021-22 will become extremely dangerous. Even in this summer league game, Williams was getting double-teamed in the second half after he nearly posted a double-double in the opening two quarters.

In regular season play, Williams is not going to encounter any double teams. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are both lethal scorers who will attract a majority of double teams and with Williams playing as the fourth scoring option in the starting lineup – there will be ample opportunity to inflict significant damage on their opponents.

The Chicago Bulls already had high expectations for this upcoming season and Patrick Williams seems to be the X-factor that controls the ceiling of this team. So far in the summer league, it appears that he understands his importance to the team and his performance in the summer league opener should give Bulls fans even more reason to be excited about this upcoming season.