Bulls optimistic Williams can return this season

Patrick Williams' second pro season with the Chicago Bulls appeared lost when the forward tore ligaments in his left wrist in just his fifth appearance.

Not so fast, says Bulls executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas.

"He's working extremely hard, doing this recovery and at some point, I think you're gonna see him this year," Karnisovas said Thursday. "Timeline, we don't have one for now. We don't want to put any pressure on Patrick or us to bring him back, but there's a lot of positive things."

Though the initial expectation was that the 20-year-old would miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery in late October, the door hadn't closed on returning for a possible Bulls playoff run.

Chicago is currently on track to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. At 34-21, the club sits third in the Eastern Conference and just one game behind the top-seeded Miami Heat.

The Bulls drafted Williams with the fourth pick in 2020. For his career, he's averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game across 76 contests with nearly 40% shooting on threes.