Chicago Bulls injury update: Patrick Williams injury status revealed, player set to miss the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season
The Chicago Bulls have been one of the most impressive teams in the NBA to start the 2021-22 regular season. Although the Bulls lost a tough game last night against the New York Knicks, the team still finds itself with a 4-1 record over the first five games.
The Bulls have looked like one of the up-and-coming teams in the NBA after a strong offseason that saw the organization bring in a number of strong additions to the roster.
Unfortunately for the Chicago Bulls, they are going to be without one of their starters for the foreseeable future. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported today that Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams will undergo surgery to repair a dislocated left wrist. Williams is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.
Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a left wrist dislocation, source tells ESPN. He will undergo surgery soon.
It's been reported that Williams suffered the injury last night during the Bulls game against the New York Knicks. The play happened when Williams fell out of the air after being fouled by Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, which then led to the Bulls forward falling on his left wrist. It was announced that he specifically suffered a perilunate dislocation.
Patrick Williams' injury could slow down the Chicago Bulls' excellent start to the 2021-22 NBA season
The Bulls also announced that there is hope that Williams will have a timeline of recovery that would make it possible for him to return to the playoffs for the Bulls. It's a massive loss for the Chicago Bulls, as Patrick Williams was looking like a player who was going to take a big step forward in his second year in the NBA.
Although Williams isn't known for his offensive ability, his impact on both sides of the floor cannot be understated. After the Chicago Bulls selected Williams with the 4th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the hope was to slowly bring Williams along and let his game develop with time.
After a strong summer league showing, it looked as if Williams was going to be an important piece of the puzzle playing alongside the likes of Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said that the team is going to have to figure out a way to replace the versatility that Williams had:
"We're a little bit smaller at that position and we've played smaller there ... but when you lose a guy like that that can guard a lot of different positions and has got the strength and size to deal with post-up players, like Patrick does, it definitely hurts."
For a Chicago Bulls team that looked to suddenly have some intriguing depth, the loss of Patrick Williams cannot be overstated. Williams was a rare asset to the team as he had the ability to make game-changing plays on both sides of the floor without needing to be the primary scoring option.
For a player like Williams, who does such a fantastic job of defending multiple positions, the team is going to need to find someone to step up in a hurry. The Bulls are set to take on the Utah Jazz Saturday as they prepare for a tough upcoming schedule against some of the best teams in the NBA.
Injury Update: Patrick Williams will undergo surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist from an injury sustained in last night’s game vs. the New York Knicks. He is expected to miss approximately 4-6 months.