Caleb Wilson didn’t just show up and play well in his first NBA Summer League game. He put up 35 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and seven threes for the Chicago Bulls in a 97-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in Las Vegas. But before he ever stepped on the floor, he was crying.
Wilson told The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi that the emotions hit him hard. He felt guilt over North Carolina’s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to VCU and the firing of head coach Hubert Davis that followed. Wilson didn’t play in that game — he was sidelined with a season-ending thumb injury — but he still carried the weight of it.
“I felt terrible because my team lost in the tournament, and my coach got fired. It just was a lot for me,” Wilson said.
He hadn’t played organized basketball since that injury. So his debut was more than just a game. It was the first time he’d been back in action, and the emotions of everything that happened to his college program came rushing back.
Wilson’s mindset stands out
The No. 4 pick in the draft didn’t seem interested in celebrating his own numbers. He kept the focus on the loss and what the team could have done better. That kind of attitude is part of why the Bulls front office is high on him.
Wilson fits the SLAP philosophy — size, length, athleticism, physicality — that VP of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham has been building around. He’s a two-way player who can guard multiple spots and knock down shots from deep. But people around the organization also talk about his work ethic and his ambition. He wants to be great, and he’s got a maturity that makes him sound older than he is.
Chicago is in the middle of a rebuild, and Wilson is the kind of prospect you build around. The Bulls will get another look at him Monday night against the Utah Jazz at 7:00 pm CST.
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