Fifth-year forward Patrick Williams recently received a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection to treat a right knee injury the Bulls describe as tendinosis. He’ll miss at least two weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, per the team (Twitter link).
Williams was initially ruled out for Thursday’s game at New York with what the Bulls called right quadriceps tendon soreness. He banged knees with a Pistons player on February 12, but was able to go through practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Williams threw a towel in frustration during a timeout after experiencing the injury last week, but both he and head coach Billy Donovan downplayed the severity of the issue after the game. At the time, Williams said the knee-to-knee contact aggravated the sore tendon, but X-Rays came back normal.
It’s been a tough season on an individual level for Williams, who is averaging career-worst percentages on both two-pointers (.400) and threes (.351) for an overall FG% of .375. The 23-year-old, who was selected No. 4 overall in 2020, missed 10 games earlier this season, and will now miss at least eight more over the next couple of weeks.
With Williams out, Matas Buzelis, Kevin Huerter and Julian Phillips are among the candidates to receive more playing time.