Monday’s Summer League meeting between the Bulls and Jazz lost a lot of its shine before tipoff. What had been billed as a showcase for two top-five picks - Caleb Wilson and Darryn Peterson - now looks very different, with Utah expected to sit Peterson, Ace Bailey and Cody Williams on the second night of a back-to-back.
That leaves Chicago with the clearer edge, at least on paper, and it also shifts the spotlight squarely onto Wilson. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft was electric in his Summer League debut, pouring in 35 points with six rebounds and three blocks while knocking down seven 3-pointers. He also added two steals in a performance that turned heads right away after a strong season at North Carolina.
Wilson’s shooting from deep was the loudest part of that showing, and it’s easy to see why Chicago fans are already imagining what he could look like alongside Matas Buzelis ahead of the 2026-27 season. If he brings anything close to that same form on Monday, the Bulls should be in good shape.
Chicago’s first game in Las Vegas was a narrow loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, but that result came against a Memphis group that featured multiple NBA players, including Javon Small, Taylor Hendricks and Cedric Coward. Cameron Boozer also made his presence felt with 23 points in that matchup against Wilson.
Utah’s situation is a different story. With Peterson and Bailey expected to rest, the Jazz simply won’t have the same firepower available, and that’s why Chicago is favored.
The Bulls scored 96 points in their opener and should have most of their top players available again since this is only their second game of the summer. After shooting 44 percent from 3 against Memphis, their offense has the look of something worth watching Monday night.
For a game built around young talent, the betting angle comes down to availability, and that’s where Chicago has the advantage. With Wilson active and Utah short-handed, the Bulls look like the side to back.
In Other News...
Caleb Wilson Just Changed How Bulls Fans See That Draft Pick
Caleb Wilson arrived in Chicago with the usual top-pick expectations, but the early read on him was shaped as much by projection as production. The Bulls took him fourth overall in the 2026 NBA Draft after he was viewed as a project wing with shooting questions, and that made his work this summer worth watching closely from the start.
In NBA Summer League, Wilson has done more than hold his own. He has been one of the standouts, and the part that has turned heads most is the three-point shooting that once looked like the obstacle in his profile. Working with shooting coach Chris Matthews, Wilson has been trying to sharpen that part of his game, and the early returns are giving Bulls fans a very different lens on the pick than they had on draft night. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls May Have Seen Something In Caleb Wilson Everyone Else Missed
The Bulls had Caleb Wilson on their radar well before his name started drawing louder buzz around the 2026 NBA Draft. Chicago brought in the North Carolina forward for a pre-draft interview, and the early read inside the organization was that his confidence, maturity and work ethic stood out as much as his talent. For a team always looking for players who can grow into bigger roles, that kind of impression matters, especially when it comes from a prospect whose game already carried plenty of intrigue.
Wilsons shooting is the part that may have made Chicago look twice. At North Carolina, he was used mostly as a rim-attacking power forward in a fast-break offense, which meant the jumper did not always get the same spotlight it had in other settings. But his track record from high school and what he showed in Summer League suggest there may be more there than the college usage indicated, and that is the sort of detail front offices tend to circle long before everyone else catches on. [Read more 🡒]
Norman Powell Joins Bulls With Something To Prove In Chicago
Norman Powell is settling into Chicago with the kind of mindset the Bulls have to hope translates quickly. After officially signing with the team, the veteran guard said his focus is on being in the moment and helping Chicago win, a familiar message in a league where roster moves are rarely purely about basketball. For the Bulls, adding a proven scorer who understands the business side of the NBA is part of the larger push to keep reshaping the backcourt and finding players who can fit into whatever comes next.
There is also a layer of flexibility built into Powells deal, which gives Chicago some room to manage the partnership beyond the first season. That matters for a Bulls team trying to balance immediate competitiveness with longer-term planning, and it gives Powell a chance to show he can be more than a short-term addition. He arrives in Chicago with something to prove, and the early tone suggests he is embracing both the opportunity and the uncertainty that come with it. [Read more 🡒]