This, we know: The Bulls aren’t going 66-0 the rest of the season.
Whenever they lose their next game, Jay Williams will have experienced as many NBA losses as he did in his entire three seasons at Duke, when he went 95-13.
This is a dynamic with which Elton Brand dealt as well. Brand put a good public face on matters as he endured the trying times in Chicago.
Once he got traded, Brand admitted the losing not only wore on him, but that he became numb to it as well. Avoiding that scenario is clearly a concern of Bulls management as it attempts to nurture so many young players in its latest rebuilding effort.
“It has been hard,” Williams said. “But I’m going to win on this level. I’ll never become numb to losing. It’s always going to hit me deep inside. I think some people, if their team is losing, just take the loss. That’s not me. It never has been me. I’ll just keep working harder and harder. Trust me.”
Fair enough. Much of Williams’ success in getting to this level has been a result of his determination.
Williams isn’t merely adjusting to dealing with more losing. He also no longer is dominating games, as his .369 field-goal percentage, .564 free-throw percentage and 2.7 turnovers per game indicate.
Williams is leading all rookies in assists with a team-high 5.2 per game. His assists-to-turnover ratio of 1.93 ranks third, and his 10.4 points-per-game average ranks fourth.
“I have one of the toughest positions on the court, actually,” Williams said. “I’m taking a whole team and trying to run it, [and] as a rookie. I’m learning, and I think I’m getting better and more consistent.
“I don’t think I came into a system where I was able to let loose and run up and down the court. I came into a system that was established in the triangle. It’s a hard thing to adjust to. I’m getting better at it.”
Jalen Rose is one of Williams’ bigger supporters and said the rookie will be fine.
“When you’re a point guard, it’s a lot more difficult,” Rose said. “It’s kind of like being a quarterback in the NFL. If you come in as a receiver, all you have to do is run your routes. As a quarterback, you have to make sure everybody else is running their routes and then understand where you have to be.”
Healing ahead of time
Rookie guard Roger Mason Jr. has been cleared to begin full practices in two weeks and is a month ahead of schedule to return from his shoulder injury. Mason spent three days in Alabama last week with surgeon James Andrews, who performed the labrum reconstruction. Mason hopes to be back by early January.
Excused absence
Fred Hoiberg was excused from practice to attend to a personal matter.
