CHICAGO — During his first season with the Chicago Bulls, forward Patrick Williams quickly became known for constantly asking questions.
He was a rookie, after all, the second youngest player in the NBA who was thrust into the starting lineup roughly a month after being drafted. He didn’t have the benefit of a full offseason to ease his transition into the league, and the 2020-21 season was far from normal. So when his teammates encouraged him to ask questions, Williams took advantage.
“Patrick asked questions that I never thought people would ask,” veteran guard Garrett Temple said with a laugh at the end of the season. “But loving the fact that he was honest enough to ask those questions and trusted us to not make fun of him — even though we still did.”
Yet that constant drive to learn is one of the traits the Bulls like most about Williams, who turns 20 in August, and one of the reasons they are so encouraged about his potential.
So when the invitation arrived for Williams to join the USA Select Team for a chance to train with and against Team USA before the Tokyo Olympics, Williams was on board.
“Honestly I was surprised. I didn’t really know much about the Select Team,” Williams said on a conference call Tuesday night after the first day of training camp. “But it’s an opportunity … just come in here and, of course, working, that’ll never change, but just being a sponge to anybody and everybody.
“Be a sponge. That’s pretty much the motto for this camp and the summer in general — just being a sponge to any information I can get to have that translate over into my game.”
Williams has been trying to absorb as much as possible since the Bulls selected him with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft, and that will continue during this training period through July 18 in Las Vegas.
Not only will Williams get the chance to compete alongside some of the best players in his draft class on a 17-man select roster that includes Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Saddiq Bey, he also will match up against the stars of Team USA, including Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal and Bulls teammate Zach LaVine.
“(He fits) really well,” Select Team coach Erik Spoelstra said. “From a physical standpoint, the U.S. main team has this incredible firepower, lot of 30-point scorers, lot of guys that can facilitate and help space for those guys, it starts with having players who are physically even capable of being even on the same court.
“Patrick is quite a physical specimen, extremely strong and agile. He can play either the wing position or play that versatile 4 position. I think he’s set up in the future to be a great two-way player, to be able to defend virtually everybody on the floor, whatever your scheme may be. And then offensively his game has already really grown. You can tell he’s extremely dedicated to have that kind of improvement.”
From day one of his NBA career, Williams has been willing to accept the toughest defensive assignments, guarding the likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“Now I get a chance to do it every day,” Williams said. “It’s more than just three guys, it’s the best in the world. They’re all here.”
But the Bulls are hoping Williams will continue to make strides offensively this summer.
He averaged 9.2 points as a rookie, shooting well — 48.3% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range — but he often was deferential on offense. He averaged just 7.4 shots per game and scored 20 points or more in only three of his 71 games.
Williams has spent most of his offseason in Chicago, training with Bulls coaches and the player development staff to get more comfortable within the offense — handling the ball in pick-and-rolls, knowing when to attack the basket or when to pass. After this stint in Las Vegas, he has another scheduled in August when he plans to play in the Summer League.
The Select Team experience should be a unique learning opportunity. LaVine competed on the 2016 USA Select Team before the Rio Olympics and encouraged Williams when the two went to dinner earlier in the week to get out of his comfort zone and try to soak up as much knowledge as possible.
“You have the best of the best here,” Williams said. “If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be here, whether it’s a coach or a nutritionist or anybody who works for USA, they’re the best at what they do.
“So just being a sponge to anybody, keeping open ears, even if the conversation isn’t with me. Players, somebody else talking to somebody else, trying not to be afraid to ask questions. Stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit. And being a little more vocal and being a little bit more interactional. It’s an opportunity and I can’t let it pass me by, because it will if I let it.”
