When the Chicago Bulls travel to opposing arenas, DeMar DeRozan maintains a habit of watching power forward Patrick Williams’ basketball lessons.
Each retired jersey has DeRozan dots hanging in the rafters. Williams tells DeRozan what he knows about every player who has stood out in the opposing team’s history books. Some names are immediately recognized as legends and role models in the League. Others need a lesson — sometimes from DeRozan, sometimes from assistant coach Maurice Cheeks, often from Williams himself.
Past NBA stories offer a wealth of knowledge. And for Williams, studying league history helped define his game in his third season with the Bulls.
“What it took to be good then is needed now,” Williams told the Tribune. “Strength, effort, hard work. Obviously the game has changed but the formula is the same.”
At 21, Williams — averaging 9.5 points and 4.1 rebounds — hasn’t spent much of the NBA’s long history, which is why DeRozan thinks it’s important that he and other young players look back.
The athleticism required to compete in the NBA has changed drastically over the decades, a fact DeRozan believes makes watching old movies essential. When players can’t rely on athletics alone, DeRozan thinks they’ll turn to more pure technique instead.
“You can learn a lot of basic skills from a lot of older people,” DeRozan told the Tribune. “The game is in such a beautiful place now but you learn so much that all the old school guys were creative enough to score in different ways. Today’s game isn’t just the traditional way where there are layups and 3-pointers. You can learn a lot from every generation of basketball.”
DeRozan continues that education via social media, sending Williams Instagram clips of his favorite players. Both players follow accounts like HoopFilms, which cut highlights from both well-known stars and niche players.
Social media is an easy entry point for players and fans to discover athletes from eras past. For example, Williams knew Chris Weber as a member of Michigan’s Fab Five until he saw a highlight of the forward’s 15-year NBA career.
Williams said DeRozan often sends him clips of Kobe Bryant, his longtime mentor and idol. But he tries to introduce Williams to players who provide him with specific tools that can improve his approach to the game.
These proposals span decades and position groups: Andre Miller, a journeyman point guard who was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1999 and was adept at the post despite his small stature; Rasheed Wallace, a longtime power forward who won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and showed how a big forward can still dominate as a stretch four; and Ben Wallace, a defensive tackle who built a legacy for his rim protection with the Detroit Pistons.
“What I always try to emphasize (Williams) is an understanding of footwork, creativity and not just looking at one type of player,” DeRozan said.
This research of other players is not limited to the past. Williams often watches films of other two-way players in the league he hopes to emulate – Michal Bridges, Ozzy Anunoby and, of course, Kawhi Leonard.
Comparisons have been a constant throughout Williams’ young career, and not always to her liking. He earned the nickname “The Pow” when he was just 19, a nod to the similarities between himself and Leonard. While Williams remains flattered by the comparison, she doesn’t want him to define her expectations of the game.
“You get the label in this league and it’s pretty hard to shake it off,” Williams said. “For me, it doesn’t compare to our drama. It’s like, ‘Okay, he’s doing really well, maybe I can add that to my game.’ “
Williams, the 2020 draft pick at #4, knows his NBA education will be an ongoing pursuit. The history immersion helped him develop a deeper understanding of the sport and its underrepresented players — and Williams now feels he has a better understanding of what it takes to thrive in the NBA, regardless of era .
“Here and there, all the great players have one thing in common, they all seem to have a pace of play,” Williams said. “They’ve mastered the speed of the game, they’ve mastered a mental side of the game, and they’re playing a game within a game. They know how the team will protect them and they know how to take advantage of that. It’s just about having that mental edge.”
