NBA Draft 2020: Biggest steals and reaches from 1st round selections
By Joe Casey
Reach: Patrick Williams (FSU) selected #4 by the Bulls
The first surprise of the night came rather quickly as the Chicago Bulls selected FSU forward Patrick Williams with the fourth pick in the draft. Williams, a sixth man in his only year at Florida State did not start any of the 29 games he played in.
Williams is a legitimate NBA player and will help the franchise for years to come. He has the size, athleticism, and long-term potential to become one of the main pieces of the Bulls rebuild but could have been taken later in the draft.
The main reason that Williams was not only a shocking pick but also a reach is because of the current Bulls roster. A starting five of Coby White, Zach Lavine, Otto Porter Jr., Wendall Carter Jr., and Lauri Markkanen is seemingly set in stone for the upcoming season.
Barring any drastic changes, Williams will find himself coming from a bench role at Florida State into a similar or even reduced role as the fourth pick in the draft. The upside that Williams touts is enough to make him a lottery pick. He has shown that you can rely on him to play hard and has the potential to continue to improve year over year. Yet, the fourth pick carries a value that the Bulls could have capitalized on if while also retaining Williams later in the lottery.
As the team continues to rebuild Williams will surely be able to contribute to their success in the upcoming year. He may even be able to fight for a starting position with nothing being guaranteed by new coach Billy Donovan.
In the same breathe, however, a new front office along with a new coach should be looking to maximize returns in the draft and by selecting a bench player with upside in the top five, instead of trading down for the same player and potentially more draft capital, Williams becomes the first reach of the draft.