12:56 pm ET
Jamal CollierESPN
Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams will return Monday night against the Toronto Raptors to play in his first game since undergoing wrist surgery in October, the team announced Sunday.
Williams, the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NBA draft, has not played since October 28, when he tore a ligament in his left wrist during the fifth game of the season.
Although he started the season as a starter, Williams is expected to return as a minute-limited reserve.
“He really wants to come back,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Friday. “Physically, he feels good. He knows the timing will take a little time. But I think how he feels and where he is mentally, he wants to come back and play.”
The 20-year-old Williams had a promising rookie season as one of the youngest players in his draft class, but his second season didn’t start well. He was averaging 6.6 points on 56.5% shooting and 2.2 rebounds in five games before tearing his wrist ligaments after a flagrant foul from the New York Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson.
While the Bulls took off on a three-game West Coast tour last week, Williams stayed in Chicago to practice with the Windy City Bulls, the team’s G-League affiliate. Donovan said the reports on Williams’ condition were encouraging, but his timing was not good after being on the sidelines for five months.
The Bulls are back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday, and Donovan said it’s possible Williams could play both games.
Williams’ comeback comes after the Bulls are down in a three-game streak and have lost eight of their last 10 games. They started Sunday fifth in the Eastern Conference.
“He makes our team better,” Donovan told reporters. “He will probably have to work a little to find the rhythm. In the case of Patrick, the most important thing will be how he fits into the rotation and what the actual number of minutes looks like for him.