The NBA has already seen several Dunk of the Year candidates this 2020-21 campaign. Now, Chicago Bulls rookie Patrick Williams just submitted his for the blocks category.
Williams and the Bulls traveled to the Talking Stick Resort Arena to take on the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. The 19-year-old forward, who's already developing into quite the two-way threat for Chicago, completed what might be the most impressive defensive display of his young career against hulking center Deandre Ayton.
The Suns were about to perform a familiar two-man game between Ayton and Devin Booker before Williams put a wrench in their plans. Book threw a pin-point alley-pass to Ayton, which usually ends in an easy two points.
Williams, however, read the play perfectly and switched to the Suns' center to snap that lob mid-air. The Bulls freshman should have been rewarded with both a steal and a block for that marvelous defensive stop.
Patrick Williams erased this lob ❌ pic.twitter.com/WOxMa4QIbL
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 1, 2021
It's so nice, we're going to show it to you twice, from a different angle, of course.
Block of the year
Paw Patrol 🐾 | @BedfordPark_IL pic.twitter.com/zMtpZ4V6Pi
— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) April 1, 2021
Even Bulls veteran Thaddeus Young was left in awe after witnessing Patrick Williams' emphatic block on Deandre Ayton.
Thad Young called Patrick Williams' pinning of DeAndre Ayton's alley-oop dunk attempt one of the best blocks he's ever seen and added he was "in awe" seeing it in real time.
Young in his his 14th season.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 1, 2021
Despite Williams' defensive prowess, the Bulls still fell to the Suns, 121-116. The 6-foot-7 forward once again impressed with his all-around game, recording 16 points, three boards, one assist, one steal and one block on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 2-of-3 from deep.
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