Patrick Williams following a Buddy system and helping the Bulls lately

MINNEAPOLIS – At times it seems like Buddy Hield is from a different planet and everyone else is just visiting it.

The veteran Bulls shooter is always smiling, always talking, and every so often breaking off in some sort of happy dance where he appears to be skipping down the bench area.

“A good vibes guy” is how coach Tiago Splitter describes his veteran reserve. A better compliment in Hield’s eyes? Just call him a “professional.”

That was on full display over the last week alone as Hield went from rotation guy at the start of the season to slowly being fazed out, picking up two DNPs (Did Not Play) Coach’s Decision in recent losses to Philadelphia and San Antonio.

No problem, as he put in 25-plus minutes in the overtime win against Atlanta on Friday night and then followed that up with 16 points and a plus-11 in plus/minus in a massive win over Minnesota. Just how big of a shocker was the win for Hield and the Bulls? It was the biggest upset in 35 years for a team a 16.5-point underdog.

Hield, however, was acting like it was just another day at the office.

“You got to be professional, man, treat this like a job,” Hield said of his mindset. “Even when you don’t play, be the best teammate you can be. Just find ways to contribute.

“Once you start stacking up a few wins in this league, this (bleep) continues and that’s what we’re trying to do. My job is to be the best veteran leader that I can be to help these guys to stay composed, don’t get too high, don’t get too low. It’s tough to win in this league and when you’re losing teams bury you, they don’t feel sorry for you.”

Patrick Williams knows that all too well. The former No. 4 overall pick has gone from promise to bust to not even an afterthought in recent years, starting the season collecting $18 million per year and not even getting on the court.

Williams missed the first seven games, finally getting mop-up duty in New York, but has suddenly emerged into a 20-plus minutes guy the last four games. He was stellar against Minnesota, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds, while posting a plus-10.

“We all know Pat is a great NBA basketball player,” Hield said. “Besides, what happens in the past, you flush that. This league is all about what have you done for me lately and what Pat’s done lately is tremendous, so we’re going to keep building on that.”

Williams, like Hield, credited just keeping a “professional mindset.”

“You always have those doubts, no matter who you are,” Williams admitted of his rocky last four seasons. “Whether I was playing 30 minutes or three minutes, you always have those doubts with you as a player. That’s what the work is for. Work kind of relieves some of those doubts, and then giving yourself to the team you don’t have so much time to worry about yourself. Everybody goes through adversity. It’s how you get through it.”

Maybe that’s why the bench was suddenly feeling better about itself. If Hield and Williams can contribute like they have the last few games, redefining their roles, could that lead to better things for the entire second unit?

Veteran reserve Tre Jones thinks so.

“Guys have stepped up big for us,” Jones said of the bench. “Every single night we know as a team that it might be somebody else but we know we can do this together. We got off to a rough start this year, but we also know it’s a long year. We have some guys in here that have a lot of experience and we’re going to lean on that.”