Chicago Bulls encouraged regarding a Patrick Williams return

After a promising start to the 2021-2022 NBA Regular Season, the Chicago Bulls have reached a rough patch of their season. The Bulls have lost 7 of their last 10 games and that has allowed the Miami Heat to leap them for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

While the Bulls performance on the court has not been the cleanest, injuries can certainly be attributed to the struggles that the team has experienced recently. Over the course of the past week, the Bulls have lost three players for 6-8 weeks. Starting point guard Lonzo Ball is sidelined for the next 6-8 weeks with a knee injury; veteran point guard Alex Caruso is out for the next 6-8 weeks with a fractured wrist; and, forward Derrick Jones Jr. was the latest injury casualty as he fractured his right index finger during a workout on Tuesday and will also be out for the next 6-8 weeks.

The injuries and struggles that the Bulls have experienced over the past week has certainly altered the outlook of the season. Prior to their recent stretch of games, the thought was that the Bulls would be aggressive at the trade deadline on February 10 as they look to solidify their chances of making run towards to the NBA Finals. Now, the Bulls are likely to attack the buyout market as opposed to trades and hope that the team can make a run once healthy.

To that end, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times provided an update on injured Bulls’ forward Patrick Williams. Williams suffered a fractured wrist injury earlier this season and has only appeared in five games. The initial timeline on Williams’ return was not known, however, Cowley is now reporting that there is chance that the second-year forward will return before the playoffs.

Despite recent injury news, the Chicago Bulls received some positive news regarding one of their starters returning sooner than originally anticipated.

"However, a source said that there was growing momentum that Williams could be back sooner, and even get some regular-season games under his belt before the postseason begins."

Williams being able to return before the start of the playoffs would be a major victory for the Bulls. Even, at full strength, the Bulls are an incredibly small team and do not compare favorably to the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers. If the Bulls are going to have any chance to make a deep run in the playoffs, the team is going to need to gain depth and size. The return of Williams would be bigger than any trade that the Chicago Bulls could make at the trade deadline.