Tiago Splitter didn’t waste much time drawing a line with Patrick Williams.
In the Bulls’ regular-season opener against the Toronto Raptors, 13 of the 14 available players got onto the floor. Williams was the one left standing on the sideline, even with the kind of size that would normally seem useful against a long, physical Toronto group.
That decision landed like a statement about where things stand in Chicago. Williams, the former No. 4 overall pick, had been a priority under the previous regime and kept a regular role despite results that never really matched the investment.
He’s still just 24, but the new front office and coaching staff are clearly not treating his draft status or his contract like built-in reasons to play him. Williams is owed $18.0 million in each of the next three seasons.
Bryson Graham and Splitter have made the same point over and over: minutes have to be earned. And on Friday night in Boston, Williams was once again on the outside looking in.
The Bulls were handled by the Celtics for the second time in a week, falling 125-111 for their fifth loss in six games. The blowout pushed Splitter back into the deep end of the bench, and he used it.
Fourteen players saw the floor, including all three Bulls on two-way contracts. Nic Claxton and Dailyn Swain were both out, and that left Williams as the only healthy player who didn’t get called.
That’s the part that stands out most. Outside of the injured Nic Claxton, Williams is the only Bulls player who hasn’t appeared this season. He did miss time with an adductor strain in a couple of these games, but even that doesn’t fully explain how he’s managed to survive multiple lopsided losses without getting a chance.
And if Splitter’s early emphasis is defense and physicality, Williams would seem to fit at least one part of that bill. Whatever his flaws, he does bring one of the most imposing frames on the roster.
Splitter’s comments made it sound like a chance is coming eventually.
“I told him during the whole camp and before we started the games that he was doing a great job, he was forcing my hand and making my life difficult because he was doing a good job,” Splitter told the Chicago Sun-Times in Boston.
“He’s got to stay ready. His moment is going to come.
You can’t just switch rotations every day. You’ve got to stick to something and evaluate, see how the young guys are doing.
He’s going to have time to play, and there will be changes made throughout the season, so he’s ready to go.”
Still, the message from the first stretch of the season is hard to miss. Williams may get his turn soon, but right now he’s not part of the core plan, and the Bulls’ decisions have made that plain.
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