The Chicago Bulls have gotten plenty to like out of 2K26 NBA Summer League so far, but Dailyn Swain’s start has been a different story.
Caleb Wilson has been the headliner, coming out with a 35-point debut and carrying that aggression into his next games while showing the kind of fluid offensive game that hints at a two-way future. Jaylin Sellers and Tobe Awaka have also given the Bulls useful flashes in Las Vegas. Swain, though, has stood out for the wrong reasons.
Through three Summer League appearances, Swain has looked hesitant and low on confidence. His scoring line has stayed in single digits each time, and he has rarely looked eager to force the issue offensively.
For anyone worried about his NBA outlook, that’s an easy place to focus. But the Bulls are not at the point where panic makes sense.
Swain was never going to be a finished product right away. What matters most is not how he looks in July, but how much ground he covers by the end of his rookie season.
There’s a reason he went 15th overall. Even with the inconsistency that followed him through college, Swain brought the kind of frame teams want in an NBA wing, along with a role that projects cleanly as a 3-and-D contributor. In 36 games during his junior season at the University of Texas, he averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 34.4% from three.
The concerns were there too. Swain often passed up perimeter looks in halfcourt possessions, choosing instead to move the ball or attack the rim. He also doesn’t have the kind of burst or explosiveness that lets him separate easily from stronger defenders.
That’s been obvious in Las Vegas. Swain has looked uncomfortable with the ball, and he appears to be pressing both as a shooter and as a finisher. Over his last two games, he has gone 0-for-16 from the field.
There’s not much sugarcoating that stretch.
Still, Summer League is not the final word on Swain, and neither are his first NBA minutes whenever they come. The Bulls are betting that their new developmental setup, with head coach Tiago Splitter leading it, can help bring out the athletic tools and defensive value that made Swain worth the pick. Right now, the issue looks mental as much as anything else, and that’s the kind of hurdle the Bulls expect him to work through during his rookie year.
If Swain is still struggling this badly near the end of the regular season, then the concern level changes. For now, though, this looks like the expected learning curve for a player who needed time from the start.
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