The Bulls’ 2020 draft decision still hangs over the franchise, and Patrick Williams remains the name tied to it.
Chicago had the No. 4 pick and a chance to reset the organization after the Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler eras. Arturas Karnisovas, newly installed as vice president of basketball operations, zeroed in on Florida State’s Patrick Williams, even though he was the second-youngest player in the draft and not even a starter. That was exactly the kind of swing some scouts and staffers inside the organization did not want to see.
Karnisovas reportedly saw a Kawhi Leonard type after Leonard had just helped Toronto win its first NBA championship the year before. The idea was simple: give Williams enough time, and maybe he could become that.
But it did not take long for the fit to look off. The measurements and athletic traits were there, but the edge, the instincts and the alpha presence were not.
According to Jamal Collier of ESPN, some in the organization became so frustrated with the pick that they gave Williams a brutal nickname.
That frustration came from how Williams played. The source describes him as passive, someone more comfortable filling a role than taking over a team that had just made him its highest draft pick in years.
He was seen as unwilling to get into the grime of the game, too often content simply to be in the league instead of trying to own it. The result was a pick that looked worse with time, especially for a top-five selection.
The COVID year and the lack of in-person scouting have been used to explain away the miss, but the source argues that only makes it look worse. Chicago spent the fourth overall pick on a player already carrying major questions without the benefit of meeting him or working him out in person. That kind of gamble has cost executives their jobs for less.
The organization is now trying to move past that stretch. In the 2026 NBA Draft, new VP Bryson Graham had the No. 4 pick and did not overthink it.
He chose Caleb Wilson, who is described as the opposite of Williams: a starter, an alpha, explosive, aggressive and physical. None of that guarantees anything in the NBA, but the belief is that Wilson’s odds are better than Williams’ ever were.
As for Williams, the feeling inside the fan base and apparently inside the building is clear. Several people within the organization reportedly want to put “the Paw” behind them.
Chicago could eventually include him in a trade package, and with three seasons left on his deal - the final year a player option - a move feels like a matter of when, not if. The only real question is finding the right deal.
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