Patrick Williams shows aggressiveness in Bulls’ preseason loss to Nuggets – NBC Sports Chicago

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On a Sunday night, coach Billy Donovan made the decision to rest several key players for the Chicago Bulls, including Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Alex Caruso. In their preseason loss to the Denver Nuggets, Torrey Craig and Patrick Williams started in their place.

In assessing Williams, Craig emphasized his role in pushing Williams to reach his full potential. Craig, who is also from the same area as Williams, believes in challenging him during practice, competing with him, and being physical to bring out his competitive edge.

Although Williams had an off night, he displayed his most aggressive offensive performance of the preseason, scoring 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Coby White also contributed 20 points for the Bulls. As the preseason comes to a close, Coach Donovan plans to ramp up the starters’ minutes in the remaining games to prepare for the regular-season opener on Oct. 25 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

DeRozan has been instrumental in helping Williams develop his assertiveness and has included him in offseason workouts in Los Angeles. Now, Torrey Craig is joining the efforts to bring out the best in Williams. The entire Bulls team understands that an aggressive and consistent Williams is crucial to the team’s success.

However, Donovan now faces the challenge of figuring out the regular-season starting lineup. While White, LaVine, DeRozan, Williams, and Vucevic are trending to start, Williams’ aggressive showing adds complexity to the puzzle. Donovan may employ a strategy similar to the first preseason game by staggering Williams’ minutes and having him play against opposing reserve units.

One area where Williams needs improvement is rebounding. Despite his defensive responsibilities, the coaching staff emphasizes his need to be more aggressive on the glass. With just two rebounds in the game against the Nuggets, Williams now has a total of seven rebounds in 66 preseason minutes.

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