FSU alums: Patrick Williams’ rookie year made Chicago Bull fans eat crow

Former FSU standout freshman Patrick Williams was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Williams won the ACC Sixth Man of the Year award, something that’s become a trend over the past three years as he came off the bench for Leonard Hamilton.

His stats from his freshman season at FSU were not eye-popping, as Williams averaged nine points and four rebounds on 45 percent shooting from the field. He shot 32 percent shooting from the 3-point range and 83.8 percent from the free-throw line.

It was a risky pick for the Bulls as Williams played limited minutes as a freshman and was the second-youngest player in the draft.

Chicago Bull fans booed the selection, and I can see where they were coming from. However, as someone that covers FSU basketball, I knew they were getting a guy with huge upside.

It appears the Chicago Bulls had done their homework in scouting him and felt he was worth the risk.

They were right.

As the NBA regular season comes to a close, Williams won’t be in any NBA Rookie of the Year Awards talk. However, he drew praise from LeBron James early in his rookie season and put up some solid numbers.

Patrick Williams started all 71 games thus far and averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 39 percent from 3-point land. Williams only attempted 7.4 field goals per game and averaged 27.9 minutes per game.

That’s not bad for a rookie with limited experience coming into the league. I think the more experience he gathers, the more he’ll harness his potential and evolve into a better overall player.

He’s already solid defensively, but I think he’s beginning to become more assertive offensively. He scored a career-high 24 points a few nights ago and seems to be following the same trend he followed at FSU. The more experience he gets, the more of an impact he’ll make.

Maybe Chicago Bull fans will show him a bit more love after a successful rookie campaign?