3 Bulls on Thin Ice Entering 2024-25 Season
The preseason is over, and the Chicago Bulls are ready to begin the regular season. They start the season off on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans. It will be a big test to start the season.
Many writers and fans view the Chicago Bulls as NBA hell, and the criticism is fair. When Arturas Karnisovas took over as team president, the Bulls had a sense of direction and optimism.
The path was clear and precise. The goal was to build a roster to contend and compete in the playoffs. Trading away numerous young players and draft picks, Karnisovas built a veteran core of Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso.
However, nothing transpired outside of several play-in tournament appearances. Rather than trading away the talent on the roster, Karnisovas held his ground, and it blew up in his face. Facing a dilemma, he finally decided to start a youth movement for the Bulls.
Chicago traded Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey and DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings for pennies. The Bulls entered the offseason with a new direction. However, Karnisovas couldn't trade away his entire cast of veteran players.
Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic do not have trade value. The hope is to increase their trade value so they can be traded during the deadline or the offseason. That said, we'll discuss three players on thin ice heading into the season opener.
1. Patrick Williams
The patience has become futile with Patrick Williams and Bulls fans. They are sick of Williams not being aggressive. The Bulls have been patient with him, and he has not lived up to his selection of the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Players like Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, and Desmond Bane have proved more reliable and efficient and showcased their star-level play. They were all drafted after Williams. At best, Williams has been a key reserve and role player. He lacks aggression and physicality. He has only displayed it in a few instances each season.
Even without that, the Bulls resigned him to a reasonable deal in the offseason. Although it is not considered an overpay, the Bulls and fans are disappointed. It has been a slow and unnerving start to his career. The comparisons to Kawhi Leonard excited Bulls fans. They thought to have a building block for their future. Williams has much to prove to be the building block for the future.