Chicago Bulls' Patrick Williams exudes confidence as he continues his rise in NBA: "I’m starting to feel like I have what it takes to be a star"
The Chicago Bulls haven't had the best start to their 2022-23 campaign. However, Bulls forward Patrick Williams has high expectations of himself as he exudes confidence in his ability to burst onto the scene as a star.
The Bulls are currently in the bottom tier of the Eastern Conference with a 8-11 record. Considering the manner in which the team had started out last season, the 12th-ranked Bulls haven't looked as competitive this season.
While a lot of this can be attributed to injuries to some key players on their roster, Chicago has generally had some difficulties performing. With DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine being the superstars on the team, the Bulls haven't seen a lot of productivity from the rest of the roster.
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In this regard, Chicago desperately needs some of their frontcourt players to step up as significant contributors. Nikola Vucevic has been relatively impressive in this regard.
After Vucevic, however, the team sees a massive drop-off in productivity, especially on the scoring front.
This certainly raises some concerns for the Bulls squad. However, there appears to be a player on the roster who exudes a high degree in his ability to contribute to the team's efforts.
Bulls forward Patrick Williams recently expressed his belief in himself and his ability to emerge as a star-caliber player in the league. Williams expressed this opinion following a team practice. He said:
"I told you I was going to figure it out. I think I’m still figuring it out. But I’m 100 percent locked in on being the player that I want to be.
"I always felt I had what it took to be a really good player in this league. But now I’m starting to feel like I have what it takes to be a star and a superstar in this league. I’m kind of trying to take that role on and build on it day-by-day."
While such a take could be considered overconfident, Williams concluded with some humility. He added:
"I think it’s definitely a team effort. Guys have been telling me this since my rookie year and before that since high school and college. Kind of trying to take it in my own mind now and show that on the court."
"I always felt I had what it took to be a really good player. But now I’m starting to feel like I have what it takes to be a star."
A question about Patrick Williams' improved 3-pt shooting led to something deeper at Sunday's practice.
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The Bulls forward certainly exuded a lot of confidence in his ability to be a star for the team. Considering the amount of time he missed last season due to injury, Williams certainly has a lot to make up for.
While the confidence is a promising sight, the forward has a long way to go before he can be considered a star in this league.
Patrick Williams is far from being a superstar with the Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls have a solid trio of stars in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Unfortunately, after the noteworthy contributions of their trio, the team doesn't feature any valuable contributors.
The claim made by Patrick Williams is a promising thought for the Chicago Bulls. However, he is a long way away from being a star, much less a superstar.
Williams has undoubtedly improved as a player. Chicago has also benefitted from this as the youngster notches an uptick in scoring output and three-point shooting efficiency.
Unfortunately, the numbers are rather underwhelming in this regard. Williams is recording an average of 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks this season. Given that he also averages slightly over 25 minutes, there are some arguments that can be made for his productivity.
However, the Chicago Bulls' problems are far from being simply about their lack of contributors. With some poor offense being paired with poorer defense, the Bulls may need to take a closer look at their schemes first.
Read: Chicago Bulls need to learn how to close out games if they are to make a deep playoff run this season