It starts with forward Patrick Williams.
Then again, when it comes to talking about the Bulls and the player who needs to reach his potential, it always seems to start with Williams. That has been the case for the last couple of seasons.
But this is a little different.
The fourth season for an NBA player — especially one selected No. 4 overall, as Williams was in 2020 — usually is.
Not only do the Bulls have to start thinking about making a financial decision about Williams, but they also need to find out whether sparks of special moments can ignite into a sustainable burn.
Williams has shown he can be a difference-maker defensively, and he shot an impressive 41.5% from three-point range last season. But there still are too many lulls in his game, especially offensively and in terms of rebounding.
He looks the part but doesn’t always play the part.
Williams changing that might be the difference between the Bulls messing around in a play-in game or hosting a first-round playoff series.
The good news is that he played in all 82 games last season, then put in some hard time at Camp DeRozan in Los Angeles during the offseason.
Veteran DeMar DeRozan is well-known for his rigorous offseason training program, and he invited Williams and second-year guard Dalen Terry to join him during the summer. The reports were that both youngsters came out much better for it.
So with Bulls training camp starting Monday with media day, talk of the ‘‘Big Three,’’ of changes in the offense and shot profile and of mixing in new faces Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig all carry merit.
But where does it start?
With Williams. It always does.
Here are four other important storylines to follow heading into camp:
For starters
Shooting guard Zach LaVine, center Nikola Vucevic and small forward DeRozan are inked into the starting lineup, and Williams likely will get the first nod over Craig at power forward. Where it gets interesting is what coach Billy Donovan wants to do at point guard.
Carter and Coby White are the leading candidates to run the show, with Carter having the slight edge because of his defense.
Then there’s the issue about who will be on the court at the end of games. Alex Caruso is usually a must, along with LaVine and DeRozan, but it will be interesting to see how Donovan figures out the rest of the puzzle.
Vucevic
Before signing his contract extension in the summer, Vucevic again met with Donovan to discuss how he’s used offensively. There have been too many moments in which he has been ignored in offensive sets, especially after getting a mismatch off a switch.
The Bulls need to shoot more three-pointers overall, so expect an offense in which Vucevic can be better used as a shooter or passer.
Payday
DeRozan never has asked for a trade or gotten stressed about a contract extension. That won’t change entering the final year of his deal with the Bulls, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth keeping an eye on.
Early indications are that the front office will watch how the season is playing out before making a decision about DeRozan. If the Bulls can get off to a quick start, then DeRozan might be a keeper. If things are going south by January, the six-time All-Star might be a valuable trade asset.
Depth charge
This might be the deepest roster Donovan has had as the Bulls’ coach, easily going 10 deep. Vucevic, DeRozan, LaVine, Caruso, Carter, Williams, Craig, White and Andre Drummond are all must-plays in every game, and the Bulls brought back Ayo Dosunmu at three years and $21 million for a reason.
Might Donovan go 11 deep and use Terry? That’s a tough juggle, and Terry might help to answer that with a stellar camp.
