© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Patrick Williams gears up for another matchup against Zion Williamson
The Chicago Bulls' young forward, Patrick Williams, takes pride in playing defense. After all, on a team filled with dynamic scorers, Williams knows that he has to step up and do the dirty work on the other end of the floor.
The 21-year-old will be in for another test on Wednesday night, facing the New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson.
Is the third time the charm?
Williamson, who's back in action after missing all last season due to a foot injury, has clashed with Williams twice this season — once in the preseason and last week in Chicago, where the Pelicans emerged victorious, 115-111.
While Williamson dominated Williams in the preseason, the latter held his own last time. With a solid defensive game plan, Williams and the Bulls stymied Williamson in the first three quarters, holding him to eight points and just four field goal attempts.
However, this is the NBA; even the best defenders can be torched by the league's elite scorers. In the fourth quarter, Williamson took over, scoring 11 of his game-high 19 points to lead New Orleans to victory.
Ready for the challenge
Williams acknowledged how Williamson outplayed him in the preseason but added that he's a different player now.
"I do think he got the better of me just in terms of me not being ready to battle. But I think I'm playing totally different than I did in preseason. I think I'm playing much better than I did in preseason on both ends," said Williams, who is playing like a changed man in November.
After averaging just two rebounds and 0.4 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game in October, he is now averaging 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 29 minutes per game, on top of playing stout defense against both interior and perimeter scorers.
"In preseason, I was a little bit robotic in terms of not making plays. I was a little too caught up in making sure I do certain things right instead of trusting my instincts and going to make plays. I'm doing that more now, so last game I did that a little bit more," said Williams.
Head coach Billy Donovan emphasized that defending a transcendent talent like Williamson would not be Williams' sole responsibility but rather the entire team's.
"We're always guarding with five. That's our motto, defensively," he said.
