The Chicago Bulls have made a starting lineup change.
Ahead of their meeting with the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, head coach Billy Donovan has benched Patrick Williams. Ayo Dosunmu has been inserted into the starting five in his place, meaning the Bulls will take the floor with Lonzo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Zach LaVine, Josh Giddey, and Nikola Vucevic.
Ayo Dosunmu returns to the starting lineup tonight vs. Denver.STREAM ➡️ t.co/dLgvAjfc2T@FirstAlert | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/pm6hdkn7bZ
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 28, 2025Bulls Bench Patrick Williams
First things first, the Chicago Bulls will undoubtedly be undersized. The decision to come in with a four-guard lineup is a tad surprising, and I’ll be interested to see how long they stick with this moving forward. Both Julian Phillips and Matas Buzelis have shown enough flashes this season to potentially warrant a shot at the starting lineup. Not to mention, player development should be a priority as the Bulls have dropped seven of their last eight games.
The bigger story here is simply what this means for Patrick Williams. While I suspect he will continue to see 25+ minutes per game off the bench, this is a clear signal to the 23-year-old that his play has been unacceptable. Williams has averaged a mere 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds on 31.7 percent shooting from the field over the last 13 games. He most recently scored 2 points on 1-9 shooting against the 76ers.
On the season as a whole, he is averaging career-low marks across the board. Considering the Bulls handed him a five-year, $90.0 million deal in the offseason, it has been a particularly painful and concerning campaign. The hope now is that a demotion will light a fire under the athletically gifted forward. He will have every opportunity to take command of the second unit.
Following this weekend’s poor effort against the 76ers, Patrick Williams sat in front of reporters and stressed, “I got game.” It’s time to prove it.
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