Chicago Bulls are expected to receive a boost going into the matchup against the Toronto Raptors Monday. Patrick Williams will play his first game since October, when he underwent a wrist surgery.
Williams will offer more defensive stability to a slumping Chicago team. Williams is expected to return in a reserve role with a minutes restriction. Williams averaged 6.6 points on 56.5% shooting and 2.2 rebounds in five games before he tore his wrist ligaments.
The Bulls are on a back-to-back Monday and Tuesday, and Williams could be available for both games. He had a promising rookie season after his team selected him with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
On Friday in Phoenix, Bulls coach Billy Donovan didn’t rule out Williams playing in both games of the back-to-back which concludes Tuesday in Milwaukee. https://t.co/hk48Szbab8 — K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 20, 2022
Williams stayed in Chicago during the Bulls’ three-game road trip in the Western Conference last week. The Bulls have been hit hard by injuries this season, as Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, alongside Williams, have missed a significant amount of time away from the team.
Caruso returned to action on March 12. Lonzo Ball remains out, as he has not responded well to ailments for his knee issue. The discomfort remains, according to Bulls’ head coach Billy Donovan, via NBC Sports Chicago.
“He has not responded,” Donovan said. “There’s no setbacks. It’s still the same thing. He has not been able to do anything full speed. And anytime we get him close to that, there’s discomfort.”
Ball has been out of the lineup since mid-January after suffering the meniscus tear in his left knee. And yet, there’s no set timetable for Ball’s return to the floor, according to Billy Donovan.
As for Williams, he will be available for Monday’s contest against the Toronto Raptors. Chicago lost eight of its last 10 games, dropping all the way down to the 5th seed.
Patrick Williams will make his return on Monday night vs. Toronto. Welcome back, @patricklw4! pic.twitter.com/EVo3ZMmN06 — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 20, 2022
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