The Chicago Bulls pulled out all the stops on their rebuild this summer. After replacing key figures in the front office, the Bulls took the first step toward a franchise-wide overhaul. In this process, however, stories about players like Patrick Williams raise some eyebrows about the team’s earlier direction.
It is a well-known fact that the Chicago Bulls were heavily invested in Patrick Williams’ potential to become a star-caliber player. Although it is evident that the forward never lived up to these expectations, the depth of the Bulls’ commitment recently came to light.
When highlighting how ex-Bulls vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas was enamored by Patrick Williams coming out of college, ESPN’s Jamal Collier wrote:
“Williams was the second-youngest player in the draft, with the type of raw talent that fit the bill of a 6-foot-6 wing a team could build around. The size of Williams’ hands drew comparisons to two-time Finals MVPÂ Kawhi Leonard, whose exceptionally large hands helped him become one of the best defenders in the league.”
Although Collier noted that most within the Bulls’ organization were pushing for Tyrese Haliburton, the duo of Karnisovas and Marc Eversley were committed to Williams’ potential. Needless to say, after he was drafted with the fourth overall pick, the comparisons with Kawhi Leonard weren’t just stuck; they were enforced.
Aside from the nickname, “The Paw,” Williams clearly had no similarities with Leonard, who was among the best players in the league. While speaking with ESPN, an ex-staffer also stated:
“Being the first draft that those guys ran and having [the pandemic] circumstances, I think, was a recipe for disaster. That being said, they way over-indexed on Pat’s potential. It was just a really bad mis-evaluation.”
After four seasons in the NBA, Patrick Williams had shown no signs of significant improvement. Given that his best season saw him post 10.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game (2022-23), there wasn’t much potential for him to earn a sizable contract extension once he entered restricted free agency.
Despite this, the Bulls offered him a five-year, $90 million extension, leaving many people within the franchise stunned.
“It took probably three or four years for them to come off of the, ‘Well, he could be Kawhi,’ statements,” the ex-staffer told ESPN. “Those things continued to linger even after Patrick pretty demonstrably proved that he was not going to be Kawhi.”
The staffer was proven right shortly after Williams penned his new deal. In the 2024-25 season, instead of earning a larger role in the rotation, Patrick Williams ended up playing fewer minutes (25.0). Inadvertently, this also affected his production, as he averaged only 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game that season.
The 2025-26 season wasn’t much kinder, as Williams found his role being reduced further. With averages of 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game, it is safe to say that he regressed.
At the current juncture, it is difficult to predict what role Patrick Williams will play in the Chicago Bulls’ future.
When considering that the franchise has committed to Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, and how brilliant Caleb Wilson has been in the Summer League, there is enough evidence to suggest Williams’ time in Chicago may be limited.
