After a 10-game absence with discomfort and swelling in his left foot, Bulls forward Patrick Williams returned to the lineup Friday against the Hornets but will be restricted to between 20 and 24 minutes.
Coach Billy Donovan said he was pleased with Williams’ conditioning, despite the injury, but he indicated he doesn’t expect him to pick up where he left off. Williams had scored in double figures in six of his last 10 games before the injury.
‘‘Just being out for as many games as he’s been out, and then having an entire summer where he didn’t play a lot of five-on-five until he got to training camp,’’ Donovan said.
Williams will have ample time to recover between games, with the Bulls playing only three times in the next eight days.
The Bulls only can hope Williams can return to his form in November, when he averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds, sometime soon. By signing Williams to a five-year, $90 million contract extension in July, the Bulls were betting on his potential. They were betting he could parlay his physical skills into more aggressiveness on offense and a more consistent ability to affect games overall.
Donovan said he saw Williams improving at recognizing and exploiting mismatches before he got hurt.
‘‘I felt like part of the reason why he was playing a little bit more aggressively is he was identifying those situations early in possessions, and then I think he had an awareness of maybe how he could get himself into being a little bit more aggressive in those situations,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I don’t know if he’ll pick up where he left off.’’
Center Nikola Vucevic missed a game for the first time this season because of an illness. He has missed only 15 games during his time with the Bulls.
The illness came at a time when he’s playing arguably the best basketball in his tenure with the team. Vucevic has been adept as a passer, and his field-goal percentage (58.7%) and three-point percentage (47.4%) would shatter his previous career highs.
Vucevic’s confidence and consistency have given the Bulls a much-needed boost, and his proficiency in the low post has complemented the team’s high volume of three-point shots.
‘‘What he provides for our team, that’s really hard to duplicate or emulate,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘But there are things that [center Jalen Smith] brings to the table that are very effective and productive.
‘‘I wouldn’t want [Smith] to go out there and be something he’s not, but it’s not going to necessarily alter how we’re trying to play. It’s just taking a really good player [Vucevic] off the floor that has really played exceptionally well all year long.’’
Forwards Torrey Craig (allergic skin reaction) and Dalen Terry (bruised right knee) also missed the game.
Donovan said Craig dealt with this situation during his time with the Nuggets early in his career. Terry has been dealing with discomfort in the knee since the Bulls’ game Dec. 5 against the Spurs.
