Caleb Wilson Dropped Seven 3-Pointers in His Bulls Debut and Then Explained Why Hubert Davis Was Right to Ban Them

Caleb Wilson walked off the floor in Las Vegas on Sunday with a smile. A big one. For good reason. The Chicago Bulls rookie had just drilled seven 3-pointers in his NBA Summer League debut. A performance that had scouts, fans, and probably even his own coaching staff doing double takes.

But here’s the funny part. Wilson genuinely believes none of this happens if his former college coach let him shoot threes at North Carolina.

“I’m glad I didn’t shoot threes in college because if I did, I wouldn’t be here,” Wilson told reporters with a laugh. “I don’t know where I’d be. I don’t think I’d be a Bull.”

Hubert Davis and the UNC staff mostly used Wilson as a back-to-the-basket, get-buckets-down-low type. And for good reason. Wilson hit just 25.9 percent from deep in his lone college season. So they played to his strengths. Punish smaller defenders inside. Fight through contact. Score the gritty twos. It worked. But the 3-ball? It was basically a no-go in Chapel Hill.

Wilson had another reason he never really worked on his long-range shot during college. It’s the kind of answer you don’t hear every day.

“I didn’t really have the time. Had to go to class,” Wilson said. “That’s what’s good about the NBA, it’s just your job.”

He’s been making up for lost time since. Wilson says he’s putting up 2,000 to 2,500 shots every day. No mechanical changes. Just volume and repetition. The kind of routine that builds confidence faster than anything else.

Sunday’s hot shooting night was just the latest chapter in an emotional few weeks for Wilson. Before his summer league debut, he actually cried. He was open about why.

“I felt terrible because my team lost in the tournament, and my coach got fired,” Wilson said. “It just was a lot for me.”

UNC got bounced early in March Madness. Then Davis was let go. A lot for a 20-year-old kid to process while trying to start his pro career. So the tears came. That’s real.

But by Sunday, the mood had shifted. Lighter. Fun. Wilson was joking about class schedules and thanking his former coach for holding back the green light.

The Bulls grabbed Wilson on the second day of the draft. A steal, maybe. Especially if that 3-point shooting in Vegas is a preview of what’s coming. One game doesn’t make a career, sure. But it’s a hell of a first impression.