The Chicago Bulls finally got a win in Summer League on Tuesday, beating the Washington Wizards 99-87. But the real story was Caleb Wilson doing something most lottery picks don’t bother with: playing in back-to-back games.
Wilson dropped 19 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out 3 assists. He shot 7-for-15 from the field. After the game, he was asked why he was still out there when most young stars sit one out. His answer was pretty direct.
“I feel like I’m different than all of them … I love this sh*t,” Wilson told reporters, per Elias Schuster of Sports Illustrated.
The No. 4 pick in the 2026 draft out of North Carolina has been the Bulls’ best player in Vegas by a wide margin. Last Friday he put up 35 points against the Memphis Grizzlies, hitting seven 3-pointers in a one-point loss. On Monday he had 19 points in an 80-63 loss to the Utah Jazz. The guy is averaging 24.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks over three games, shooting 60% from the floor and 50% from deep.
Why Wilson is playing when others aren’t
Most top picks get a game off in Summer League. It’s basically an unwritten rule. Teams want to protect their investment, limit wear and tear, see what the second-round guys can do. But Wilson isn’t wired that way. He said he loves the competition and wants to be out there.
That attitude fits what the Bulls’ front office talked about when they drafted him. VP of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham has this acronym SLAP — size, length, athleticism, physicality — and Wilson checks every box at 6-foot-10. He’s also a legit two-way player, which is rare for a rookie.
After that 35-point game, Wilson wasn’t celebrating. He talked about winning, not his individual stats. That’s not the typical soundbite from a 20-year-old fresh off a one-and-done season at North Carolina, where he averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds.
The Bulls are deep in a rebuild and Wilson is the centerpiece. He’s supposed to be a generational talent. So far he’s looking the part, even if Summer League stats don’t mean much in the long run. But the fact that he wants to keep playing when he doesn’t have to? That tells you something about how he’s wired.
Chicago plays the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at 5:00 pm CST.
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