Condensed timetable shouldn't slow Williams down
In the normal NBA draft routine, Patrick Williams would be just getting started at rookie camp and preparing for a trip to the Las Vegas summer league.
Instead he's a week away from the opening preseason game. But as the Bulls' highest draft pick since Derrick Rose, there's no reason to take things slowly, even if he was one of the youngest players in this year's draft pool.
"I've seen how well he plays defense, how physical he is for a 19-year-old," teammate Lauri Markkanen said. "It's pretty impressive to see. I wish I was like that at that age."
There are two sides to Williams. He's a 6-foot-9 physical specimen who is expected to play multiple positions in the NBA. He's also the polite kid who worked at his mother's flower shop while growing up in Charlotte, N.C.
"That's a guy who was humble, attentive, and he immersed himself into the program," Leonard Hamilton, his college coach at Florida State, said before the draft. "He wanted to be a great teammate, he wanted to learn, he wanted to grow. He allowed himself to be coached."
No one is really sure yet what the plan is for Williams. The Bulls have Markkanen, Thad Young, Otto Porter and Chandler Hutchison at the forward spots, so it's not like he has to play right away.
But as the first acquisition of the Arturas Karnisovas era, why wouldn't he get plenty of floor time this season?
On a Zoom call with reporters Thursday, Williams talked about the quick transition from the Nov. 18 draft to Tuesday's start of Bulls training camp. Full team practices won't begin until Sunday, by NBA rule.
"For sure it's been hectic, just having to leave so quick," Williams said. "The draft was on a Wednesday and I left on Friday. So just getting here and not having anything, really. Just being at an apartment and trying to get accustomed to your new teammates and your new life.
"At first it was definitely hectic, but now it's kind of slowed down. I've gotten to know the guys really well. They've embraced me with open arms, which I really appreciate from them."
Asked about his interactions with first-year Bulls coach Billy Donovan, it sounds like Williams' versatility will be emphasized.
"From Day 1, he's kind of put me in different positions, just from our 1-on-1 work," Williams said. "I've been doing things a 3 would do. I've been doing things that a 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 would do. So just putting me at different positions, guarding different positions.
"Also he's a great guy. I can talk to him about anything, which I really wasn't expecting from an NBA head coach. I can come to him with any problems I have or any questions I have. I really love him as a coach. He's definitely a players' coach and he's really smart, so it's been great having him."
Learning the system is only part of the process. Williams also had to make an abrupt move to a new part of the country.
"Before this I had never been to Chicago, so it's definitely been different," he said. "The weather is a big change, so had to get some winter coats.
"But when I moved out here first, my parents were here with me for about five days, just to meet everybody, just to make sure that I was as settled as I could be. When they went back, I just leaned on the guys here."
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls