The Bulls’ summer league gave a clearer look at five young players, and the results ranged from encouraging to rough. The grades tell the story, but the bigger point is the same one hanging over all of them: these games matter far less than what comes later in the regular season.
Caleb Wilson was the easy standout. The rookie came in with a simple assignment - show growth as a shooter and keep bringing impact on both ends - and he delivered in four games.
Wilson averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 50% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc. That kind of efficiency, especially from 3-point range, is exactly what the Bulls wanted to see after an offseason focused on improving that part of his game.
Jaylin Sellers also put together a strong case for himself. The two-way signing played in five games and averaged 15.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals.
He showed he can score and chip in defensively, even if the shot wasn’t always as clean as the Bulls would have liked. Sellers shot 39.3% from the field and 23.7% from three, so there’s still room to tighten things up.
Even so, he made a real push for regular-season minutes.
Tobe Awaka’s summer was more about function than flash. The other Bulls two-way player didn’t need to light up the scoreboard, especially with Nic Claxton arriving via trade.
What he needed was proof that he can help in a rotation role through rebounding and defense, and he did that. In five games, Awaka averaged 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 77.8% from the field.
His 6.8 points per game would have looked better with a little more scoring punch, but the rebounding and rim protection were there.
Noa Essengue showed a few positives, though the overall grade lands in the middle. Coming back from a season-ending injury, he gave the Bulls some encouraging signs with 43.8% shooting, 1.3 steals per game and 1.8 blocks per game.
That’s enough to count as a bright spot. Still, for a first-round pick, the expectation is naturally higher, and the summer league results didn’t quite rise to that level.
Dailyn Swain had the toughest showing of the group. He averaged 4.3 points, five rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, but the shooting numbers were brutal: 12.9% from the field and 0% from deep.
That’s not the kind of outing Bulls fans wanted to see, especially when the hope was for something closer to his last collegiate season, when he could score efficiently and finish in double figures. Still, with Norman Powell added in free agency, Swain has time and opportunity to keep developing.
Summer league is only a snapshot, not a verdict. For these five Bulls, the real evaluation comes later.
In Other News...
Caleb Wilson Is Giving Bulls Fans A Reason To Believe
While the 76ers were busy adding pieces that fit around the margins, the Bulls got a different kind of early offseason buzz from rookie Caleb Wilson. His Summer League run gave Chicago something it can always use this time of year, a young player flashing real two-way promise and looking capable of becoming more than just a developmental name on the roster.
Wilson backed up the eye test with strong all-around production across four games, showing scoring punch, rebounding and shot-blocking while also stretching the floor from deep. He also pointed to free throw shooting as an area to clean up, but the bigger takeaway for Bulls fans is simpler: there is already a reason to keep watching him closely. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Just Turned A Draft Night Move Into A Rebuild Debate
The Bulls used the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft to add Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Dailyn Swain, giving the front office a pair of young players to build around as the rebuild takes shape. But the bigger conversation around Chicagos draft night was not who it picked, but what it chose not to keep after the first round ended.
Both of the Bulls second-round selections were moved for cash considerations, a decision that drew plenty of scrutiny even as executive Bryson Graham defended the approach. In a league where teams like Oklahoma City have treated second-rounders as useful trade chips and roster-building tools, Chicagos decision has only sharpened the debate over how aggressively it should be stockpiling and using draft capital while trying to reset the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Bryson Graham May Have Found The Bulls Shooting Help They Need
Bryson Graham has earned a reputation for spotting players who can slip through the cracks, and that matters for a Bulls roster still looking for useful shooting and scoring help. One name worth watching is Jaylin Sellers, whose offensive profile already fits the kind of swing skill Chicago can use off the bench if he keeps building on the promise he showed in summer league.
Sellers arrived with a scoring rsum from Providence and then flashed enough in Las Vegas to stay on the radar, which is exactly the sort of path that can lead to real minutes for a team willing to mine for value. For the Bulls, the question is whether that production translates into a role this season, because if it does, Graham may have found another overlooked contributor. [Read more 🡒]