Of course Billy Donovan plans to give his prized rookie important minutes come Friday.
The new head coach made that very evident when discussing the general plans for the exhibition opener against Houston, and the role his 19-year-old forward will play in it.
Come the regular season in a just few weeks, however?
Well, welcome to the education of Patrick Williams, where everything is a crash course, and minutes given will be minutes earned.
“I think it’s such a unique situation for rookies today, because generally there’s a mini-camp in the summer, there’s Summer League where they can get accustomed,’’ Donovan said, when discussing the strain that Williams and this rookie class have on it.