Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine is a huge fan of his rookie teammate Patrick Williams. The 25-year-old high-flyer bared his admiration for 19-year-old neophyte shortly after the Bulls lost to the Orlando Magic, 123-119, at Amway Center on Friday.
Despite their inability to get the road win, LaVine still lauded the former Florida State standout for not backing down against the more-experienced Magic frontline.
“When he (Williams) plays like that I don’t think he understands his strength and his physicality. At 19, it’s ridiculous. He’s a monster, he’s going to be a monster,” Bulls talent Zach LaVine described his teammate, per Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports.
Patrick Williams notched a career-high 20 points versus the Magic on Friday. He shot 7-for-11 from the field and also collected seven boards, two steals, one assist, and a block in 34 minutes of play.
The 6-foot-7 forward also made Bulls history, as he became the youngest player at 19 years and 163 days to score 20 points in a game. Even opposing player Donovan Mitchell was all praises for Williams after the game.
“It was good to see him be more aggressive and more physical to the rim. Role-wise, the kind of game that I would like to see him do. Where he's attacking downhill, he's rebounding, he's physical, he's playing around the basket, he's taking his pull-up jumper when he's got it.”
The Bulls surprised a lot of pundits when they used their fourth overall selection on Patrick Williams in last year's draft. After all, he wasn't even a starter in college and there were a lot more promising prospects available on the board at the time. The Chicago front office obviously picked Williams for his high ceiling and looks like they made the right choice indeed.
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