Patrick Williams has always played the role of the good soldier.
That’s currently being tested for the Bulls forward.
Entering Monday’s game against Minnesota, Williams had become an afterthought as far as the rotation. Four straight games of single-digit minutes, coming off the bench as the seldom-used 11th man. Not exactly what’s expected from a player making $18 million a year and not exactly a role Williams was embracing.
But he’s also from the school of treating his job with the utmost professionalism, and that’s the tight rope he has to try and walk.
“Obviously it bothers me because I’m a competitor, but there’s a certain level of professionalism that you’ve got to bring, especially for a guy that’s been through some things, have a few years under my belt,” Williams said. “There’s a certain level of professionalism you’ve got to bring that you are also relied on to bring, whether things are going well for you or not. If they’re not going well for you the professionalism shouldn’t change. There’s also the idea that things will come back around to you if you stay professional.”
They did come back around somewhat against the Timberwolves, with coach Billy Donovan needing size off the bench with Zach Collins out at least a week with a sprained toe.
That meant turning to Williams and doing so early with him coming off the bench right away in the first quarter.
“For sure, 100%,” Williams said of taking advantage of the opportunity. “Obviously you don’t want guys to go down. We all love Zach and what he brings to the game. It’s definitely an opportunity for someone to step up and if he calls my number I’m ready.”
Donovan did call his number, at least Monday, but the coach has also made it a point to remain very transparent with Williams the last week.
“I’ve talked to him, one, what we need from him, and also, listen, when we’ve gone big it’s impacted his minutes,” Donovan said. “Is he happy about it? Probably not, but he didn’t voice any displeasure or was upset. He’s been totally team. And I wouldn’t have a problem if he was upset. These guys are pros, they work hard, they all want to be out there. Jevon (Carter) wants to be out there 30 minutes a night and I respect that.
“Patrick hasn’t pouted, hasn’t complained, hasn’t done any of that stuff. Now, probably in his quiet moments, in his own head, he wants to be out there playing and I respect that.”
Minutes change
Donovan has been tinkering with Nikola Vucevic minutes stints, specifically in the first quarter. Historically, he’s played Vucevic the first nine minutes of the first quarter, and now he’s subbing him out a bit earlier.
“Our guys look at the metrics and it’s about at what point are guys when they’re getting up in minutes, is there a crash so to speak, a decline that you start to see?” Donovan said. “For our guys, as fast as we want to play, it’s been hard for anyone to play nine straight minutes.”
All-Star update
The first All-Star voting fan return was posted, and Josh Giddey was 14th in the Eastern Conference. What the guard has on his side, however, is the new format and a World Team needing to be built out.
“I’ve thought about it,” Giddey said. “I try not to pay too much attention because in the end that stuff is out of my hands. I think winning, all the individual stuff comes with winning. I know it’s a new format with the World and USA, so I guess we’ll see what happens in a couple weeks.”