A Chicago Bulls season that had been going so well just saw another loss.
Starting power forward Patrick Williams, the No. 4 overall pick in last year’s NBA draft, will miss the rest of the regular season with a perilunate dislocation, a severe kind of wrist injury, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Bulls reportedly hope Williams will be able to return for the playoffs.
Williams suffered a perilunate dislocation, source tells ESPN. There’s hope a timetable on a return could include the playoffs, but as Billy Donovan told reporters today, this is a “pretty significant wrist injury.” https://t.co/yyBgDirBBE
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 29, 2021
Williams sustained the injury in Thursday’s loss to the New York Knicks, the Bulls’ first loss of the season. It appeared to come on a dunk attempt that was foiled by a flagrant foul from Knicks center Mitchell Robinson that resulted in Williams falling hard on his wrist.
The injury is a tough loss for a Bulls team that saw a strong rookie year from Williams last season. The Florida State product averaged 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds while adding some lockdown defense, earning NBA all-rookie second-team honors.
Williams hadn’t quite improved on those numbers for the revamped Bulls this season, though injuries were already a problem for him. He dealt with a severe ankle sprain during preseason and strained his shoulder during Chicago’s season opener.