The Chicago Bulls haven’t had a player this exciting since Derrick Rose. At least that’s what Bill Simmons thinks, and he’s not exactly shy about saying it.
The Ringer founder went on his podcast and made a pretty bold claim right after the Bulls grabbed North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Simmons isn’t waiting to see how Wilson adjusts to the league. He’s already calling him a star.
“He’s the first legit Bulls star since Derrick Rose,” Simmons said. “This kid has it. They’ll probably build the team around him, playing up and down. And everybody’s going to love him.”
The Derrick Rose comparison lands hard
It’s a heavy name to throw around in Chicago. Rose was the hometown kid taken No. 1 overall in 2008 out of Memphis. He won Rookie of the Year in 2009 and became the youngest MVP in league history in 2011. He dragged the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals that same year. Injuries cut his prime short, but in Chicago, the memory of what Rose could do still echoes through the United Center.
Wilson only played one season at North Carolina, but he made it count. He averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures in every single game he played — all 24 of them. He also set a school record with 17 games of 20 or more points. That’s the kind of consistency that gets scouts talking and fans dreaming.
The Bulls are in a rebuild right now, the kind where you tear things down from the top and start over. Sound familiar? That’s basically what happened in 2008 when Rose showed up. Chicago had Tom Thibodeau as coach and Joakim Noah as the emotional engine, and they made playoff runs in 2011 and 2015. The hope now is that Wilson can be that kind of catalyst again.
Wilson has already said he wants to cement his name among the greats. That’s the kind of confidence you want to hear, but it also puts a target on his back. The Bulls haven’t had a real franchise guy since Rose was in his prime, and fans in Chicago are hungry. They’ve been waiting.
The Bulls also picked up Dailyn Swain in the same draft, so this isn’t just a one-player overhaul. But let’s be real. Simmons is right about one thing: everybody’s going to be watching Wilson. And in Chicago, that spotlight is brighter than most places.
Leave a Comment