A key piece of the Chicago Bulls’ bench has suffered an injury in practice that will leave fans holding their breath with less than a month until the season begins.
Power forward Patrick Williams is projected to be a key contributor to the Bulls in the 2025-26 season, but his injury history has been a consistent question mark in recent seasons.
A new chapter has been added to that history after Wednesday, when it was announced that Williams suffered an ankle injury during practice. Head coach Billy Donovan revealed the injury to reporters and said that he suffered the injury while planting on a jump stop during a team scrimmage, per K.C. Johnson. He was able to walk off the court on his own, boding well for the extent of the injury.
For now, Williams’ status is day-to-day.
Williams is heading into the second year of a five-year contract, but his injuries have limited his production on the court, particularly in the 2024-25 season, where he averaged career lows in both rebounds and points. Williams has missed a combined 58 games across the last two seasons after appearing in all 82 games during 2022-23.
Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Injuries to both his knee and elbow plagued him last season, but injuries to his ankles have been consistent issues throughout his career. Williams has suffered major injuries in all but one of his five NBA seasons, including multiple season-ending surgeries, once to his wrist and another to his foot.
“Sometimes there are things you can’t prevent,” Williams said of his injuries in March 2025, when he was recovering from a knee injury (via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times). “My wrist, couldn’t prevent that; my foot, couldn’t prevent that… Now I’m trying to develop any way I can, on the court, off the court.”
This upcoming season was looking to be one less beset by injuries for the 2020 fourth-overall pick, but going down with an ankle injury before the season has even started is not a good sign. The Bulls will need Williams to be consistently available to fill out the roster as a key piece both as a starter and a role player.
The Bulls begin their preseason with a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Should Williams miss that game, the Bulls will have to dig deeper into their bench. With power forward Noa Essengue also considered day-to-day, Julian Phillips and Dalen Terry could likely see more significant minutes at the four to fill the void.
