Patrick Williams expects more of himself next season.
Although the ending left a lot to be desired, both for Patrick Williams and the Chicago Bulls, the young forward says it wasn’t a “waste of a season.” At just 21 years old, the former Florida State standout played in all 82 games—a feat in itself, considering a wrist injury limited him to just 17 games last season—and he believes that he’s taken some major steps in his development.
Williams, though, is far from satisfied. After getting a taste of what he is capable of doing on the court, he believes there are still more goals to accomplish.
“When I say I didn’t live up to what I wanted the season to be for me, it wasn’t like it was a terrible season. It’s just there’s more work to be done,” said Williams.
Learned a lot
To say that Williams had a sluggish start to the season would be an understatement. In fact, his first four games were a disaster, as he averaged just 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds. Williams, though, eventually settled down into his role and took on the challenge of becoming a full-fledged NBA power forward.
“Going into my first full season, I think I learned a lot. It wasn’t a waste of a season. I learned a lot about (myself) personally, about us as a team, about the game, learning how to read the game, how to really dissect the game,” shared Williams.
Although he was pulled from the starting five after the All-Star break, it did little to break his confidence, allowing him to end the regular season with a bang, carving up the Dallas Mavericks for what would end up being his best performance of the season: 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Got more comfortable
DeMar DeRozan saw Williams’ growth first-hand, commenting that the young forward still has so much more room to grow into, and that he’s excited to see what he can bring to the table in the years to come.
“He got extremely comfortable as the season went on,” DeRozan said. “He’s such a raw talent in so many ways and he (doesn’t) even know it. The more he was in certain situations taking on certain challenges, he never wavered or backed down and that shows a lot of character within him.”
