The Chicago Bulls made one easy call at No. 4, taking Caleb Wilson after AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer were off the board. The tougher choice came at No. 15, when Bryson Graham bucked the trend and grabbed Texas forward Dailyn Swain, a high-flying prospect with obvious upside and just as many questions.
That bet looked different after Summer League.
Swain’s first run in Las Vegas was rough enough that the Bulls may need to rethink how they handle his development. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report suggested the rookie could wind up spending time in the G League, especially if Chicago is more competitive this season.
"The Chicago Bulls becoming more competitive this season could lead to G League stints for Dailyn Swain. Summer league served as a reminder that he'll need to become a more threatening shooter, particularly if the point-wing experiment isn't looking promising," wrote Wasserman.
The shot just wasn’t there. Swain hit only four of 31 attempts across four Summer League games, a brutal 12.9 percent from the field, and at one point he missed 18 straight shots.
He did have some useful moments away from the ball, but the rest of his game was messy. His decision-making slipped, his handle got shaky, and every time he was willing to let it fly, he looked like a player fighting himself.
Summer League can be a noisy place to judge a young player, but this was more than a bad shooting stretch. The Bulls still have time to settle him down, and the preseason gives him another chance to show that the nerves, not the talent, were the issue.
Even so, meaningful NBA minutes seem like a stretch right away. If Swain isn’t ready to make real progress, the G League could be the better route. It would give him a lower-pressure environment, weaker competition and room to make mistakes while he works on the parts of his game that need the most fixing.
He wasn’t exactly in line for a starting job at shooting guard anyway. Norman Powell is expected to slide into the two, with Matas Buzelis moving to the three. And if Swain doesn’t take a step forward, his role under Tiago Splitter could be limited in year one.
The upside is still obvious. Swain has the athleticism and physical tools to become an elite slasher and an explosive scorer. But for now, the Bulls may have to slow the process down and let him learn before asking him to produce at the highest level.
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Bryson Grahams first offseason running the Bulls basketball operations office gave Chicago plenty to evaluate before training camp even gets rolling. He used the summer to reshape the roster around a young core, taking Caleb Wilson at No. 4 overall, adding Norman Powell on a two-year deal, landing Nic Claxton in a trade and bringing back Zach Collins, all while signaling that development would remain a priority for a team trying to move forward without boxing itself in.
The bigger question now is how those moves will hold up once the season pressure starts to build. The Bulls still have room to keep tinkering before opening night, and the way Graham has approached the roster suggests he wants options as much as immediate help, which means the real judgment on this first big bet may not come until the front office decides whether to stay patient or make one more move. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Offseason Pivot Around Patrick Williams Just Got More Serious
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What makes the discussion more interesting is the direction of the Bulls interest. The front office is not just looking to move money around or add another stopgap piece, but is trying to land a player who better fits the timeline and, in the process, collect added draft help. Until a deal actually gets done, the Williams chatter remains part of the larger offseason pivot, but it is a strong signal that Chicago is prepared to be more aggressive than usual. [Read more 🡒]