The Chicago Bulls snapped their winning streak by collecting their first loss of April in Cleveland on Tuesday night. Despite three of the team’s starters not agreeing with the game plan, the Bulls’ coaching staff elected to sit a handful of players for the contest. This didn’t give the group on the floor much of a chance to succeed, with Cleveland having the best record in the league entering play on Tuesday.
With Josh Giddey, Kevin Huerter, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White on the shelf, an interesting starting five had to be put together by head coach Billy Donovan. Matas Buzelis was the most important starter that Bulls fans needed to watch last night, and he put together an alright game.
The rookie finished with 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. He shot 6-12 from the field, but struggled from beyond the arc as he made just two of his seven three-point attempts. Buzelis finished 5-7 at the free throw line in his 28th career start.
Another former first round draft pick of the Bulls drew into last night’s starting five. The forward had his best game of the season when he needed it the most.
Patrick Williams had a big game for the Chicago Bulls
Williams made his 36th start of the year on Tuesday and it was by far his best game of the season. The forward posted a team-high 21 points to go with five assists and three rebounds in the 135-113 loss. Williams shot the ball extremely well and efficiently in the contest, which is something he has not done much this year. He finished the game shooting 7-11 from the field, 5-6 from three-point range and 2-2 at the free throw line.
The former Florida State Seminole is averaging 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per season on 39.6% shooting from the field. He has been coming off the bench for most of the year with his role never being officially solidified by the coaching staff based on his inconsistent play.
The last month where Williams was averaging double-figures in the scoring department came back in January, with February and March being his worst months of the season. Williams could work himself into the rotation entering the play-in tournament on a more consistent basis if he can put together a strong final month of the regular season.
The Chicago Bulls should still move on from Patrick Williams
Williams still has three more years plus a player option remaining on the five-year contract extension he signed of the summer. While he is just 23-years-old, Williams has not played up to his draft status and has been extremely disappointing as a professional so far. He is averaging 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game on 45.3% shooting from the field in his five NBA seasons.
If there is any kind of market for Williams, the Bulls front office needs to do what they can to give him a change of scenery. His poor play and $18 million per season salary will not help in making him an attractive piece on the trade market, but the right buyer could come around if they see any sort of potential in the young forward.
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