The Bulls have had one of the more fascinating (derogatory) five-year stretches that I can think of. Mostly due to questionable (derogatory) front office decisions. We’re now three years removed from acquiring Lonzo Ball via sign and trade, and for the salad days of the DeRozan-era Bulls, things were actually looking up. Unfortunately, we are a brutal Lonzo injury and a plethora of questionable decisions removed from what looked like a fun, competitive core at the time.
Patrick Williams was just a pup on those older Chicago teams and unfortunately for him he was no stranger to the injured list either.
Last season, Williams was trending in the right direction before suffering from a foot fracture. The Bulls are hoping for not just a return to form but perhaps a leap into becoming the big-skilled forward their roster so desperately needs.
Glass Half-Full: The Bulls' best lineup last season featured Williams in it. When the Bulls played Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, DeRozan, Patrick Williams, and Vucevic together, they didn’t just win their minutes; they dominated. Through 276 possessions, this lineup tallied a +19.3 point differential for lineups with over 200 possessions; these Bulls rank 12th in the league!
With DeRozan, Drummond and Caruso out the door, the frontcourt for the Bulls is looking thoroughly paper-thin, which should allow for Williams to step into a bigger role on both ends. As a defender, Williams has great size and athleticism to take on a variety of matchups. While he’s a below-average rim protector for his size, he’s got quick, strong hands and is long enough the easily disrupt the passing lanes.
The Bulls front office made another addition to their guard room after trading for Josh Giddey over the summer. The transaction drew nothing but head scratches and general confusion as to why the Bulls might trade for a player who, among other things, got played off the floor in the playoffs this past season. Whether it was the right move or not, I feel confident that Williams and Giddey will slot in nicely next to each other in the starting lineup.
71% of Williams’ made shots last season were assisted, including 97% of his made threes. A dynamic playmaker like Giddey will be able to get the most out of a player like Williams, especially as he steps into a bigger role.
The Bulls took a huge chance on Williams when they drafted him 4th overall, and they did it again this offseason by locking him up longterm on a five-year ninety million dollar contract. If Williams takes a leap in the coming years than this contract will be a bargain. If he can’t stay on the court, or doesn’t improve meaningfully in his new role than this may be yet another decison Bulls management has to answer for.
While most teams with title aspirations are more than happy to sell their draft picks and prospects for more NBA-proven talent, Denver has done all they can to keep their darlings close to home. It’s no secret that the Nuggets front office are world-class, but the Nuggets are once again asking Braun to fill the shoes of a tested veteran after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left for Orlando.
Denver’s projected starting lineup of Murray, Braun, Porter Jr, Gordon, and Jokic only played just over 50 possessions together last season but outclassed their opponents when they did. These five scored at a rate of 132 pts/poss which would rank among the upper echelon of lineups offensively, and finished with +16.3 point differential. It’s not a big enough sample size to be certain, but you can see why Denver might feel so confident in plugging Braun into the starting 5.
It wasn’t the breakout sophomore season that some might have expected after his stellar playoff (particularly in the finals) run in 2022, but Braun did improve from his rookie year. His three point percentage jumped up from 35% to 38%, along with his volume. He doubled his assist totals from his rookie year and finished with a 2.40 AST/TO ratio, as opposed to his 1.69 from the season prior. His rebounding nearly doubled despite only playing five extra minutes per game.
Despite all this, I still have my concerns. Braun struggled to hit corner 3s last season. Only 23% of KCP’s shots were at the rim, whereas Braun took 47% of his shots last season. He loves to get to the rim, but according to the data, he's a below-average rim finisher for his position. 51 of KCP’s shot attempts were 3’s as opposed to Braun’s 30%.
SHOT MAP KCP VS BRAUN**Braun’s success will depend heavily on his ability to consistently handle a higher 3-point volume. If Murray continues to struggle, and Porter Jr is pretty hit or miss anyway, the Nuggets might have to look elsewhere to ensure their best chances at a title. Julien Strawther should get some look after a great summer league, but the front office has been clear in their confidence in Braun as the guy to step up. Only time will tell if that’s all just smoke and mirrors.
It wasn’t the rookie season many had expected for the former Jayhawk. Gradey Dick is a shooter through and through, so when the shot wasn’t falling in his rookie year everything else had to start coming around quickly.
I was hesitant about the Raptors selecting Dick in last year's draft; I was worried about everything else besides the shooting. He was an abysmal perimeter defender in College, and I was concerned that he wouldn’t have the athleticism necessary to hang on an NBA court if the shot wasn’t falling.
The thing is, the shot didn’t fall for him last year, at least not in the way we all thought it would, and still, I walked away impressed and excited about Gradey Dick. He plays incredibly hard at all times. His quickness has translated in ways that I had previously written off entirely. He’s not an efficient rim finisher, but he’s not afraid to attack the rim on closeouts or in transition.
Despite his rookie woes, Gradey remains a promising prospect for Toronto with a tremendous offensive ceiling. He finished the year shooting 36% from 3 as a whole, but shot a very promising 48% on all corner threes (that’s 10th best in the league for players who attempted more than 50 corner three’s).
After a tumultuous year for the Raptors, who only truly committed to their youth movement about halfway through the year, a full off-season and some stability can go a long way toward developing talent. I would be shocked if Dick didn’t have a much improved sophomore season, one the Raptors could surely use.
Now that Bruce Brown will likely miss some time following a knee surgery, it’s possible that Dick could find himself in the starting lineup come opening night.
I might have been the Mark Williams fan club president entering the 2022 NBA Draft. I was disappointed to see him wind up in Charlotte, a franchise that has been searching for a Center for the better part of a decade. I was thrilled to see Williams quickly rise through their ranks and emerge as someone who could be a part of Charlotte’s core going forward.
Injuries have plagued Williams early on in his career. Through two seasons, he’s played only 62 games. His promising sophomore season ended after sustaining a back contusion in December of 2023, and sat out the rest of the year.
The on/off numbers for Williams show just how crucial he is to Charlotte’s plans. When Williams is on the court, the Hornets score seven more points per 100 possessions, grab offensive rebounds at a much higher rate, and opponents score two fewer points per 100 possessions.
New head coach Charles Lee has been clear throughout training camp that he wants to “unleash” Williams as a rim protector and shot blocker. There’s no doubt that Williams has the physical tools to do so; the most important thing for him now is to stay healthy.
Williams suffered a strained tendon in his foot and will be re-evaluated in a few weeks. He stressed to the media that it was only minor and that his back feels back to normal as well. Charlotte has quickly built an exciting young core and should be competing for a spot in the play-in if their core can stay healthy.