Patrick Williams will make his long-awaited return to the Chicago Bulls’ lineup Monday against the Toronto Raptors, the team confirmed Sunday morning.
That will be Williams’ first act since Oct. 28, as he tore ligaments in his left wrist after making a hard case from an air collision with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson. Surgery came on Halloween, followed by a strenuous rehab process that ended nearly five months in a four-to-six-month recovery timeline.
News of Williams’ return comes after he attended several G League practices last week, plus workouts with the Big League Bulls on Saturday and Sunday.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan tempered expectations for Williams’ return, saying he expected the second-year forward to ease back into the swing of things in an off-the-bench role. Also expect some form of one minute restriction.
Both hint at Williams’ prolonged absence, in recognition that it may take time to regain his rhythm in court. Williams averaged 6.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in five October starts before the wrist injury.
“He’s definitely helping our team, he’s making our team better, and there’s probably going to be some growth pains, sort of finding a rhythm from him,” Donovan told reporters before Friday’s loss to Phoenix. “With Patrick, the biggest thing is how he fits into a rotation and what a realistic number of minutes it takes for him to at least build a tolerance for it.”
Nevertheless, with 12 games on the Bulls regular season list, Williams’ return comes at a key point. The Raptors, who sit seventh in the East, follow the Bulls with only two games as of this writing (with a Sunday night game going on against Philadelphia). A Bulls victory Monday would be a 3-1 victory in the season series, alternating the tiebreaker if both teams finish the regular season with the same record.
A high-profile matchup with the Third-Seed Bucks – in Milwaukee – also kicks off on Tuesday. Donovan did not rule out Friday that Williams would play the second night of that back-to-back when he returned on Monday.
“He’s anxious to get back,” Donovan said of Williams. “Physically he feels good. He knows, I think, the timing part will take some time. But I think how he feels and where he is mentally, he wants to come back and play.”
Soon he will.
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