The words from LeBron James were appreciated.
They just weren’t going to be dwelled on by the rookie.
Maybe after this season ends, Bulls forward Patrick Williams will understand the gravity of the accolades from “The King.’’ Maybe after his career. Heck, maybe never.
As he reiterated on Thursday, that’s not what he plays the game for.
“I still honestly haven’t completely seen what he said, but I mean of course it’s a blessing, but I’m just out there to play basketball, help my team anyway I can with whoever I have to guard,’’ Williams said in a Zoom call with the media. “I’m not really the person that let’s anything said about me kind of influence me, whether it’s good or bad. Obviously you’d rather it be good than bad, but I’m not really the type of person that lets what people say about me kind of affect me and my game. Like I said, I’m just going out there and playing basketball, trying to help my team in any way I can.’’
Just in case the fourth overall pick from the 2020 NBA Draft actually hasn’t seen James’ comments word-for-word, they came after the Bulls fell in Los Angeles 117-115, and Williams spent a good part of his minutes on the floor chasing the best player on the planet.
“I think he is going to be an exceptional talent,’’ James told reporters when asked about Williams. “[He has] long arms. He has Kawhi [Leonard]-type of hands that I noticed out on the floor so I knew I couldn’t play with the ball much. You can tell he is just laser-sharp on just trying to get better and better. … He just stayed sharp on the gameplan and I think he is going to continue to get better and better. He has a great in-between game but if you notice his hands, like I said, he has Kawhi-type of hands that is going to benefit him a lot throughout the course of his career. I think Chicago has a good one.’’
So do the Bulls.
Since being thrust into the starting lineup in the third preseason game, it’s been trial by fire in teaching Williams the NBA game. Considering some of the Hall of Fame-caliber players he’s guarded, the burn marks are few.
Being locked on Giannis Antetokounmpo, James, and then Leonard in just over a week’s time would seem to be a nightmare for most, but not only has Williams embraced it, he’s learning from each encounter.
All the while, the Bulls are learning about him.
With no offseason minicamp for rookies or a Summer League to see him in, coach Billy Donovan has been teaching Williams, but also letting the 19-year-old stay comfortable. Williams absolutely falls in love with his mid-range game a bit too much at times, and yes, the arc on his shot does resemble something from space dropping down from the sky, but Donovan isn’t from the school of over-tinkering.
“Yeah, I mean it brings rain, there’s no question,’’ Donovan said of Williams’ high-arching shot. “He’s shot the ball well. He works at it. You want him to be comfortable. I’ve always felt like in dealing with guys’ shots and their shooting, I think the most important thing for a shooter is to be comfortable.
“And I think when you start taking a guy at 19 years old, taking arc off his shot and changing his form, a lot of the times you’ve got to take a lot of steps backward before you can move forward. I think for us as a staff, we need to get a lot more inventory on him shooting the basketball, certainly at the professional level.
“So I just want him being comfortable and taking the right shot.’’
