Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams is dealing with another frustrating setback involving his left foot, the same foot that required season-ending surgery in January of last season. After spending the offseason working hard to make a strong return, Williams is now sidelined again due to inflammation in the previously injured area.
The trouble began earlier this week when Williams appeared on the injury report on Monday. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan explained that the pain seemed to escalate quickly, becoming more significant during and after Monday’s game.
“Obviously, he went on the injury report as questionable with the foot (Monday), and then I think in the game he mentioned that he was feeling it more at halftime,” Donovan said, as reported by The Chicago Tribune. “After the game, he really started to feel… I don’t want to say significant pain, but a lot more pain than he was feeling beforehand. When the pain started escalating, we wanted to get imaging done to see what’s going on. He’s got inflammation around that area, and they want to figure out why.”
For now, Williams is expected to be out for at least a week as the team monitors the situation and allows the inflammation to subside. However, there is speculation that his absence could extend beyond that timeline depending on how his condition progresses.
“(The next week) will hopefully be when we start to see progress from him,” Donovan added. “I do think he’ll do more ball-handling, do more shooting, but for him to be really ramped up where we can see, it’s probably going to be (another week).”
Williams has played in 15 games this season, averaging 9.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. The Bulls, who face four games over the next week—including matchups against the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards, and Orlando Magic—are preparing to be without him for all of them. The earliest Williams might return appears to be next Friday when the Bulls take on the Boston Celtics in an NBA Cup game at home.
For now, both Williams and the Bulls are focused on taking a cautious approach to ensure the forward’s long-term health and avoid any further complications with his recovery.
