Patrick Williams was stationed in the right corner, a place to which he’s often floated only to become a forgotten man.
But early in the second quarter of the Chicago Bulls’ preseason finale, a switch flipped. Williams settled no more.
He hauled in a dribble-handoff from Derrick Jones Jr., maintained continuous offensive flow by working his way back to the top of the arc and shoveled a pass to Alex Caruso. But Williams immediately set a screen for Caruso. And after using his burly 6-foot-8 inch frame to dwarf Caruso’s defender with a textbook pivot, seal and roll, Williams had a lane to the hoop. Caruso saw it and exploited it, threading a bounce pass leading Williams to the rim. Williams did the rest, throwing down a forceful dunk in traffic.
Advertisement
What you might not have caught was Caruso’s conversation with Williams in the aftermath. Caruso lingered following the play and threw up both arms in Williams’ direction. It was exactly what Caruso had been waiting for Williams to do.
“I talked to him about that kind of action, him chasing it into a ball screen and me hitting him in the pocket, a play before or two plays before,” Caruso said. “Just trying to get him to recognize where his advantage is and where I was going to be able to get him the ball to be aggressive and attack.
“And sure enough, two possessions later or whatever it was, he did it. And I kind of gave him the reassurance (arms), like, ‘Yeah, that’s what we’re talking about. This is where we’re trying to get you the ball and get you into action.’ ”
Added Goran Dragić: “And then the reads are simple. If they switch, you got a guy top side, you roll. Pocket pass. If they drop, then he’s going to flare and get the second situation.”
It was one of several sequences produced by a surprisingly stout Bulls second string in preseason play.
Three minutes earlier, just before the end of the first quarter, Andre Drummond denied Bucks rookie MarJon Beauchamp’s dunk attempt with a monster block. Dragić recovered the rebound and darted the other way. He spotted Caruso streaking and fired a pinpoint bounce pass that hit him in stride. Only one Bucks defender stood between Caruso and the basket, and when Caruso got him to bite he flipped a pass back to Dragić for a layup.
Showtime!@NBCSChicago | pic.twitter.com/J7a79AvpyS
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 12, 2022
What left a lasting impression from both sequences is how repeatable each is. They weren’t fluke plays or principles that won’t work against regular-season defenders. They also were delivered by players who all project to be reserves.
Suddenly, a Bulls team that proved too top-heavy last season appears deep. Ayo Dosunmu’s placement as the starting point guard and offseason acquisitions of Dragić and Drummond quickly transformed the second unit from unknown into a potential strength. It gives the Bulls a skilled and savvy collection of reserves, led by Caruso, Dragić and Drummond, who are flanked by youth and athleticism in Williams, Coby White, Dalen Terry and Jones.
Advertisement
With the starters, that’s a dozen players the Bulls can deploy in waves. It’s left Bulls coach Billy Donovan no choice but to almost feel resigned to playing a 10-man rotation this season after predominately playing nine last season.
“As we go into this last week of practice, I think it’s a real possibility because those five guys off the bench are good players,” Donovan said. “DeMar (DeRozan) had such an incredible impact on the second unit (last season), and what that looks like with him not being out there, that would be something we’d have to see.
“We’d have to look at, is staggering the best thing? These are going to be some of the decisions that are probably going to be the first game or the first couple of weeks to see how it goes. I can see us adjusting and changing, but there is a lot of merit for us adjusting and playing 10 guys and potentially having a true second unit.”
From the preseason opener, when Drummond weaved a perfectly timed bounce pass from the top of the key to a cutting Javonte Green, the benefits of additional veterans were apparent. Drummond and Dragić’s experience showed throughout in how well they played off their teammates. The veterans displayed immediate chemistry with their new teammates.
“Me and Goran already talked about it. We just play off of each other really well,” Caruso said. “The offense is a lot of off-ball action and cutting and reading the plays before they develop. He’s played in the league a long time and played a lot of high-level basketball. He sees all that. I see all that.
“So it’s a good connection between me and him. And then, second units in the NBA are mostly about you just got to play hard. You’ve got to play hard and play good defense.”
Caruso, Drummond and Williams are viewed as the most capable defenders of the crew. Dragić is the playmaker. White is the sharpshooter. For more defense and athleticism, the Bulls also can and likely will at some point turn to Terry and Jones.
Advertisement
Going to a 10-man rotation has its benefits. It builds in more rest for DeRozan and Zach LaVine, as the Bulls wouldn’t have to lean on them to log heavier minutes. All those minutes saved over 82 games will come in handy when bodies are weary in April, perhaps this season, May.
“It’s just longevity for us going through the season,” Caruso said. “Last year, there were times when we had to shorten the rotation based on bodies available. And I think the way we’re playing stylistically is going to help us be there in the long term and also just keeping miles down on guys’ legs.
“It’s a long season. You want to be healthy by the time you get to the postseason when it matters. I think that’s the idea behind it.”
Whether a primary motivator or ancillary benefit, Williams, assuming he comes off the bench behind Green as expected, can play more freely. He conceded that he doesn’t play as instinctively alongside DeRozan, LaVine and Nikola Vučević while still finding his way in the NBA. A move to the second team should alleviate him of having to play in their shadows and see him be more prominently featured in the offense.
“His aggressiveness,” White said when asked what he liked about Williams’ preseason bench stints. “He’s able to touch the ball a little bit more with us. His aggressiveness was great, getting to his spots and then just making reads off the dribble.
“He continues to work. He’s a star. Everybody knows it. It’s just about him getting comfortable on the court, and I feel like with us he’ll have a chance to do that for sure.”
But beware. Donovan has flat out said he doesn’t feel obligated to script a set number of plays specifically for Williams. If White, the fourth-year guard, got a little carried away, leave it to Dragić, the 15-year vet, to tamp down expectations. After all, it’s still preseason.
Advertisement
“I feel like we’re clicking well so far. Still, we need to work on it a little bit,” Dragić said. “But what I love the most is the ball is moving. Everybody’s sharing the ball. We play faster. In the last two games that I was a part of the second unit, I felt good. I got a good vibe. But we cannot be satisfied right now because it’s still preseason so we have to work through it. But I like what I see so far.”
(Photo of Goran Dragic and Alex Caruso: Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)