As the 2025-2026 NBA season wrapped up, all eyes turned to the draft. The buzz surrounding the draft was that it was a fairly predictable affair, especially at the top.
The consensus was that BYU's standout A.J. Dybantsa would be the first pick for Washington, followed by Kansas guard Darryl Peterson heading to Utah at #2.
Memphis was expected to scoop up Duke's Cameron Boozer, leaving the Chicago Bulls with North Carolina's athletic marvel, Caleb Wilson, at #4. While all four players were seen as top-tier talents, there was a general feeling that Wilson was a notch below the top three.
However, Kendall Gill, a former NBA player and now an analyst for the Bulls, had a different take. With his extensive knowledge of North Carolina basketball from his Charlotte Hornets days, Gill had followed Wilson's journey closely.
He posited that the Bulls might have hit the jackpot with Wilson. According to Gill, Wilson's thumb injury, which kept him out of the NCAA tournament, might have been a blessing in disguise.
Gill shared on 104.3 The Score that if Wilson had showcased his skills in the tournament, he could very well have been the #1 pick, overshadowing Dybantsa.
Before his injury, Wilson was on a roll. In the eight games leading to his unfortunate thumb injury, he was averaging an impressive 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block per game.
These performances included significant matchups against heavyweights like Virginia and Duke. If Wilson had played against Virginia Commonwealth in the tournament, it's easy to imagine him dominating, potentially setting up a blockbuster game against Illinois, who might have struggled to contain his athletic prowess.
Gill's reference to Michael Jordan's Olympic performance is spot on. Jordan, picked 3rd overall in the 1984 NBA draft, went on to shine at the Los Angeles Summer Games, averaging 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal per game in just 20 minutes of play, leading Team U.S.A. to gold. It's tantalizing to think how the draft might have shifted if the NBA had witnessed that performance beforehand.
Let's take a quick look at some of Wilson's standout games before his injury:
- Against No. 18 Virginia: 24 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks
- Against No. 22 Georgetown: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
- Versus No. 12 Syracuse: 16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 4 blocks
- Versus No. 4 Duke: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block
The draft is often a game of chance, and luck played a significant role in the Bulls' history, much like it did with Jordan. There was the Olympic showcase, Hakeem Olajuwon's early entry into the draft, and the Portland Trail Blazers opting for Sam Bowie over Jordan due to already having Clyde Drexler. The Bulls' decision to bench and trade All-Star Reggie Theus also set the stage for Jordan's arrival.
This time around, the Bulls needed a stacked draft class to allow Caleb Wilson to fall to them. His injury-induced absence from the NCAA tournament, coupled with Josh Giddey's injury woes and a strategic trade for Nikola Vucevic, all contributed to this fortunate outcome. If the stars align as some predict, history might just remember this as the draft where the Bulls snagged the best player of the class.
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