Seminole surprise
New VP Karnisovas makes unexpected move by drafting FSU swingman Patrick Williams at No. 4
With his first major roster decision as the Chicago Bulls top executive, vice president Arturas Karnisovas was willing to stand on his convictions.
The Bulls drafting Florida State forward Patrick Williams with the fourth pick in the 2020 NBA draft was a surprise selection Wednesday night, especially among fans who did not have him on their radar. Williams had been rising up draft boards in recentweeks, but still, themove can be seen as a bit of a reach when most mock drafts expected him to go later in the lottery.
But consider Karnisovas’ words after theBulls secured the No. 4 pick a few months ago, and maybe this move doesn’t come as such a surprise.
“There will probably be difference of opinion from team to team, which creates opportunities,” Karnisovas said in August. “That’s theway I’m looking at it. There are opportunities there, and we’re going to take advantage of them. There’s going to be variations of opinion. Some teams are going to look at that player at the four. Some teams are going to look at him at 18.”
Karnisovas saw his opportunity and was willing to gamble on the player he targeted.
Williams was the secondyoungest player in this draft, having just turned 19 in August, and averaged just 9.2 points and 4 rebounds while coming off the bench in all 29 games at Florida State. A strong free-throw percentage gives reason to believe his shooting numbers will improve, but he shot only 32% from 3-point range in college. His
poor assist-to-turnover ratio (29-50) suggests he’ll need to improve his ballhandling to develop into a shot creator for others.
Those numbers aren’t usually good enough to skyrocket from college sixth man to No. 4 pick, and if this draft had taken place when originally scheduled in June perhaps Williams would not have been selected so early.
The Bulls are paying less attention to college stats, however, and betting on Williams’ blossoming skill set.
With an extra five months to study film of each prospect, the Bulls continued to get enamored with Williams’ potential upside. They saw the athleticism, versatility and the potential to line up as a forward or guard, with the ability to defend each position. They saw a player who spent three years as a point guard in high school but didn’t have to use his ballhandling skills in college and who could stay with guards on a full-court press after a basket.
“I didn’t agree with the perception people have of him,” Karnisovas said. “They thought he was a raw athlete and he wasn’t skilled. When I saw his skill level and ballhandling and shooting and ability to pass, I would disagree that he’s just a raw athlete. He knows how to play. He just knows how to play. He’s a versatile defender, so he can guard from 1-to-5. I don’t even know what position he is.”
It’s exactly the kind of player Karnisovas said he will target: high-pace, versatile two-way players who can guard multiple positions, space the floor and shoot. This Bulls roster is short on that, and judging from the initial decisions this week, Karnisovas is go-
ing to make moves to revamp the team in that image. He allowed Kris Dunn to enter free agency but extended a qualifying offer to retain Denzel Valentine because his shooting and size fit into that vision better.
Despite the Bulls being involved in nearly every rumor out there, Karnisovas said he never seriously considered trading up in the draft. He said he was comfortable staying at No. 4 because he knew he would have a chance to draft Williams.
“The more we studied Patrick,” Karnisovas said, “the more we liked him.”
To be clear, this pick could backfire. Williams will need to take a leap to live up to his full potential, but the Bulls are also investing in the player development department to help him grow. Karnisovas showed Wednesday that he is willing to go against groupthink, which is an admirable trait in an executive if the risks pay off.
But in an underwhelming draft class in which the top prospects have question marks, Karnisovas took his shot at someone the Bulls believe has the most potential — and he was willing to go against the general consensus to do so.
Now we’ll see if his gamble will pay off.