The Chicago Bulls might have finally found their guy. Caleb Wilson, the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft out of North Carolina, is doing things in Summer League that make you wonder how he didn’t go first.
His latest highlight? A dunk that feels like a throwback to peak Dwight Howard. Wilson took off from damn near the free throw line extended and threw down a poster that sent Las Vegas into a frenzy. The Bulls’ social media team posted the clip and it spread fast. Look how far out he starts his jump. It’s absurd.
Wilson is averaging 27 points through Summer League, second among all players. And he’s not just filling up the stat sheet. He’s playing with a confidence that makes him look like the face of the franchise already. For a team that’s been wandering in the dark since the Jimmy Butler trade, that’s a big deal.
The other side of the coin
But here’s the thing about Chicago’s recent draft history. Their last first-round pick, Noa Essengue, has not given fans the same warm and fuzzy feeling. The French big man played six total minutes last season before a shoulder injury shut him down for the year. Six. Minutes.
Before the injury, he was underwhelming in the G-League. And if you remember last year’s Summer League, you probably remember Essengue for the wrong reasons. Just one day shy of a year before Wilson’s dunk, Essengue was on the wrong end of a poster from Pacers rookie Johnny Furphy. The look on his face after the dunk went viral — confused, embarrassed, frozen in place while Furphy celebrated above him. It was brutal. The internet did not let it go.
Two Bulls lottery picks. Two very different Summer League stories.
To be fair, Essengue is 19 years old and coming off a serious shoulder issue. Writing him off now would be premature. But the contrast in early returns is stark. Wilson looks like a cornerstone. Essengue looks like a project who needs time and patience.
The Bulls haven’t had a player with this kind of buzz since Derrick Rose was tossing the ball off the backboard to himself. Wilson’s combination of size, athleticism and touch is rare. He’s shooting 48 percent from the field and his defensive instincts have looked sharper than scouts initially projected.
One dunk doesn’t make a career. But in a Summer League where most rookies are just trying to survive, Wilson is thriving. And for a Bulls fan base that has spent years watching other teams rebuild faster and smarter, that’s something worth holding onto.
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