{"id":14126,"date":"2022-03-22T14:07:40","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T14:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/03\/22\/bulls-patrick-williams-returns-with-confident-aggressive-thinking\/"},"modified":"2022-03-22T14:07:40","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T14:07:40","slug":"bulls-patrick-williams-returns-with-confident-aggressive-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/03\/22\/bulls-patrick-williams-returns-with-confident-aggressive-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulls’ Patrick Williams returns with confident, aggressive thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A lighthearted moment occurred at the end of Patrick Williams’ media session on Monday evening.<\/p>\n

Coby White stood behind the assembled reporter and asked a lengthy question about what Williams’s confident look has been in his first action since Oct. 28 after wrist surgery.<\/p>\n

“Um, like I said before you came here,” laughed Williams before crediting Chicago Bulls training, coaching and medical staff and teammates.<\/p>\n

It’s a small thing to be sure. Especially since it came at a frivolous moment between teammates.<\/p>\n

But the been-there, done-that opening to Williams’ response underscores the confident nature that the second-year forward showed all night.<\/p>\n

From stealing the ball from Thad Young’s to an outburst layout to standing in the corner 3-pointers, Williams played with a lack of hesitation that contrasted sharply with some passive moments from an otherwise impressive rookie season.<\/p>\n

Simply put, Williams looked like he belonged.<\/p>\n

“Pat was great,” said Zach LaVine. “The way he moves and how physical he is and what he brings to the game for us is big time.”<\/p>\n

Williams finished with seven points, two rebounds in a single steal and just shy of 19 minutes. He walked out of the game unprotected and said he will complete the back-to-back set on Tuesday in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

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Williams fired eight shots. Above all, it was the right shots.<\/p>\n

Yes, Williams reiterated that his business card is defense. But for a player who last season was sometimes exposed to the point where he looked passive, his ability to translate what he watched on film during his five-month absence was real-time decisions.<\/p>\n

“We know in the playoffs, they will drop Zach. They will drop DeMar (DeRozan),” Williams said. “Other guys have to make games. That was my focus.”<\/p>\n

This is music to coach Billy Donovan’s ears.<\/p>\n

“I think the hardest thing for a young player is to know when I shoot and when I pass, I think he reads the situations really well. He took his pull-up when it was there. He had the corner. “When he was there. He had a chance to break through that road and shut it down,” Donovan said. “That’s the learning curve for a young player.<\/p>\n

“The fact that he played a lot last year and then had to watch a lot of movies this year, I hope in a way to connect those things to him. Last year there were tons of opportunities for him to be more aggressive. He’s mostly an unselfish guy. But he needs to understand that we need him to do some of those things. And he understands his spots a little better.<\/p>\n

Donovan said he was able to tell from conversations he had with Williams during his rehabilitation process that he picked up on nuances and tendencies from the film studio that had not previously been recorded. And while Williams knows that his main role remains the defense, the fact that he built on the hours of solo shooting that he did during long hours in the return-to-game preparation is an encouraging sign.<\/p>\n

“I will not say that they are cut off. But when a fresh body comes in that has been out for five months, I think it’s good for me to bring energy, to bring a new vibe to the team,” Williams said. by his teammates. “As the season goes on and I get more comfortable, we can talk about roles. But for now, just bring as much energy as possible.”<\/p>\n

Williams compared how his wrist felt to the back of a dead ankle. It did not hurt, but it felt a little stiff and tight.<\/p>\n

Williams also burns rapidly due to his initial wind and adrenaline in his first rotation period. But he sat down in a second wind and said that he generally felt physically well.<\/p>\n

Mentally speaking, Williams once again flashed confidence with his response.<\/p>\n

“It was amazing. Can’t really put it into words, honestly,” he said. “Just something taken from you for so long, something you love and are finally able to get back and enjoy the game, there really is nothing like it.”<\/p>\n

It showed.<\/p>\n

Click here to watch the Bulls Talk Podcast.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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