Patrick Williams used words like “frustrating” and “devastating” to describe a week gone wrong and another season cut short.

The fourth-year Chicago Bulls forward was targeting an end-of-February return from a lingering left foot injury. Instead, a surprise news release was sent by the team just before 4 p.m. Friday announcing Williams would miss the remainder of the season.

“Wednesday morning, it was supposed to be a routine MRI checkup just to see the progress that the bone was making and if there were any changes or not,” Williams said Saturday. “And then Wednesday night, they called me to let me know they saw a line in the navicular bone, which meant it was a fracture there.

“For me, it was kind of frustrating because I’m thinking I’m ramping up. And we were kind of shooting at a date around the end of the month to come back. When you hear that news, it’s kind of devastating.”

Injury Update: Patrick Williams, who has been sidelined since Jan 25 with initial bone edema in his left foot, recently underwent routine subsequent imaging revealing the progression of his foot stress reaction.

He will undergo surgery and be out for the remainder of the season.

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 23, 2024

Williams is scheduled for surgery March 6 but hopes to undergo the required procedure sooner. His recovery is expected to be four months.

“Hopefully that lands around early July, mid-July,” Williams said. “That way I can be back on the court and still have somewhat of a summer to work out and be ready for training camp.”

The question is whether it’ll be with the Bulls.

“I don’t think anybody knows what their future is,” Williams said. “I would love to continue to be a Bull. I think I love it here. I love the opportunity that we have to build a culture, to build something special with this group and this team. And I think I could really be a cornerstone piece for this team. But you never know what the future holds, and I understand it’s a business.”

The business side is where Williams’ future becomes sketchy.

As the fourth pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Williams was the first draft selection of the Bulls’ management team led by chief basketball executive Artūras Karnišovas. Though he might not possess the star potential the front office was hoping for, management still believes in Williams’ ability to be a positive contributor.

Williams is headed for restricted free agency this summer with a $13 million, fifth-year qualifying offer for 2024-25. It will be fascinating to see how much more Williams commands on the open market and whether the Bulls are willing to match it. The Oklahoma City Thunder, who project to have around $40 million in salary-cap space, are among the clubs that have shown an interest in Williams and could make a bid in July.

Williams has established himself as the proverbial if not prototypical “3-and-D” wing. He has shot 41 percent on 2.8 3-pointers per game for his career while serving as the Bulls’ go-to defender against the league’s best wing players. Inconsistency and now injuries have held Williams back, however. His erratic performances over his 213 career contests make it difficult to gauge his dollar value. He came into this season saying he wanted — and was deserving of — a big contract.

The idea, as with most top-five picks, was to land significantly more than his qualifying offer. Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, a fair comparison to Williams, got a five-year, $103 million deal last summer. What once might have seemed like a fair market value contract for Williams now doesn’t appear to be such an open-and-shut decision. But Williams said he isn’t nervous as he enters into another season of uncertainty.

“I know what I showed when I was healthy this season,” he said. “I think I know who I am as a player and what I’m capable of as a player. So, ‘nervous’ isn’t the word. I’m kind of excited to see what happens. And just ready to get back to playing.”

Williams played 43 games this season, starting 30. He averaged 10 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.3 minutes per game. Over his final 23 contests, he averaged 11.9 points while shooting 44.8 percent on 3.8 3-pointers per game.

“I definitely feel like that was stepping into who I am as a player, being able to get every facet that I think I can into the game,” Williams said. “I definitely think that it was another step or two that I could have taken this season. That’s why I was so excited to get back this season.”

Williams missed the final 65 games of 2021-22, his second season, because of a broken wrist.

“He was playing well,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “He was doing a really good job. He was probably dealing with his foot for a while. When he got to a place and said ‘I can’t do the things that I’m accustomed to doing’ is when he shut it down and tried to let it recover. But I thought he was on a good path.”

Bulls passing up the buyout market?

Donovan said Saturday that he hasn’t had conversations with Karnišovas and the management team about adding a player on the buyout market.

The Bulls are in a bad spot with both of their rotational power forwards sidelined with injuries. Torrey Craig injured his knee during the All-Star break and is out indefinitely.

“When there’s stuff that is real or active, generally we’ll speak about it,” Donovan said. “But right now there’s nothing there. I’m sure Artūras and (general manager) Marc (Eversley) are diving into a bunch of stuff. And they’re probably looking at what makes sense and what doesn’t make sense.

“Certainly for us, with Torrey being out and Patrick being out, you’re probably looking a little bit more for a specific role or position to fill a need for our team. Through their due diligence of looking at that, I would imagine there’s probably not anybody that they feel maybe is what we’d be looking for or there’s an option. But it’s not like we’ve talked about a litany of guys to call or speak to or look at.”

Caruso ready for a challenge

The first question to Alex Caruso after practice Saturday was about how the team’s latest injury impacts him.

So, you excited to play a lot more four now or what?

“I’ve gotten used to it over the last year,” Caruso said. “I can makeshift (as a) four for the majority of games. But it’s going to take more guys, maybe some more schemes to get the ball out of some of the guys’ hands when they catch it low and get it close to the basket.”

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso has adapted well to playing a lot more over the past year. (Joe Camporeale / USA Today)

Caruso can guard the Zion Williamsons of the world for only so long.

“It’s going to be by committee,” Caruso said. “We’re going to have to do a better job of covering up for each other. Maybe throw some more wrinkles in the game plan of coverages and giving different looks, a little more gimmicky stuff just to try to buy us minutes here and there.

“It’s also time for the young guys to step into their own, be who they are. They’ve shown to us that they can play. They’ve shown to us that they’re good players. It’s time for them to believe.”

A dedicated young duo

Inside the Bulls locker room, Caruso sits closest to rookie forward Julian Phillips and second-year swingman Dalen Terry. Caruso hears their conversations. He’s often their go-to for questions and advice. He knows as well as anyone where they stand and what they’re capable of.

Perhaps for the rest of the season, the short-handed Bulls must rely on Terry and Phillips to provide quality minutes.

“They want to get better,” Caruso said. “They’re receptive to advice. I’ve talked to both of them about trying to play without fouling. That’s the hard thing. When you’re young, guys are older than you and crafty and smart. The game is slower for them. Anytime you get a hand in or are out of position, they take advantage of it. Both those guys have such great length and height that they don’t need to foul. I try to tell them to get their feet in position, and then they can use their hands as weapons instead of the opposite, where you use your hands and your feet try to catch up. They’ve done a good job.”

Caruso remembered kick-starting his career with the Los Angeles Lakers behind a similar opportunity as Terry and Phillips are receiving now.

“Every time in the NBA you get opportunities, you can do one of two things,” Caruso said. “You can take it and flourish or it holds you back and you don’t really take that next step. I think everybody on this team that is going to get the opportunity is good enough to take that next step and flourish.

“I’m a prime example of that. When I was in L.A., (Lonzo Ball) got hurt the first time. (Rajon) Rondo was hurt a little bit. I just had to grind. I took my seven, eight minutes and turned it into 10, 12. Turned that 10, 12 into 15, and that turned into 20. I ended up starting Game 6 of the finals. So everything that they want is in front of them. It’s just about them taking the opportunity.”

(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)