"You put the work in, and it's bound to show" - Patrick Williams slowly living up to his potential

The Paw is now slowly showing everyone why he was picked so high in the 2020 NBA Draft.

For a Chicago Bulls squad that is often maligned for its lack of credible outside threats, young forward Patrick Williams has quietly become one of the team's very best marksmen. After playing in just 17 games last season, the Florida State product has put in the work during offseason to become an important piece of the Bulls' offense.

Recognizing the need of spacing the floor to give slashers like DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine more room to operate, Williams has worked diligently on his three-point shooting, and the results have been promising.

“You put the work in, and it’s bound to show,” Williams said.

Double-digit scorer

Although things have not gone as planned for the Bulls this season, the recent emergence of The Paw has been a welcome breath of fresh air for the franchise. Picked fourth overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, ahead of current NBA stars Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, and Desmond Bane, Williams is slowly living up to his lofty expectations and is averaging 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game over his last 10. Even more impressive is the fact that he's shooting over 41% from behind the arc, making nearly two a game over this stretch.

“This has been a whole year where you can see a steady incline in his progress,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.

Challenging him to take the next step

Donovan, though, is not allowing Williams to rest on his laurels and has challenged the 19-year-old to take the next step in his development. He wants Williams to become an even better rebounder and work on getting to the free-throw line more.

“It’s really hard to become an elite scorer and not get to the free-throw line,” Donovan said. “That’s the next evolution for him.”

Williams says he's more than up to the challenge.

“I love this game because you always have an opportunity to get better,” Williams said. “That’s what drew me to this game and keeps me going. I love to see myself get better and the progress I make day in and day out.”