Chicago Bulls: Team loses Patrick Williams for season

The Chicago Bulls received devastating news on Friday, as it was reported that power forward and big man Patrick Williams will miss the entire 2021-22 season to have surgery to repair a dislocated wrist.

Williams suffered the injury in the 3rd quarter of the team’s loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday. Williams went up for a dunk and came down awkwardly on the wrist after being fouled by Mitchell Robinson.

Robinson would receive a flagrant foul on the play, and Williams left the game shortly after.

The Knicks would go on to beat the Bulls 104-103. Unfortunately, the tough loss was far from the biggest setback that the Bulls would be dealt in 24 hours.

It is tough to see the Chicago Bulls lose Patrick Williams for the entire season.

Williams is a devastating loss for the Bulls, who were already an undersized team. It’s likely that the Bulls will either start either Javonte Green or Derrick Jones, Jr. at the four spot for now, although there’s also a strong possibility that the team makes a quick move to acquire a big man to replace Williams.

Green is only 6’5″ and has very limited experience at the power forward position, while Derrick Jones, Jr. is only 6’6″.

Even before the loss of Williams, the Bulls were in need of a true power forward. Williams is still quite undersized at 6’7″.

Recent reports have already surfaced stating that the Bulls could be looking to move Coby White, who could be a piece in any potential deal to acquire a replacement for Williams.

While it’s never a good time to lose a key starting piece for the season, the Bulls are in a brutal stretch of games that sees them face off against the Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and both Los Angeles teams in two weeks.

The Bulls now need to step up defensively with the likes of LeBron James, Paul George, Steph Curry, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard looming on the schedule.

Fortunately, the new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas has shown promise in his year and a half in the Bulls front office so the team is in good hands in finding a replacement for PWill.

Even with the loss of Williams, it’s fair for fans to expect the Bulls to make the playoffs in 2022 barring any additional injuries or setbacks.

The silver lining is that with the current timeline, Williams could potentially return for a playoff run in the spring of 2022. Though the news is brutal, it’s still a promising time to be a Bulls fan with a bright future ahead.