The Bulls’ rough start has already put Caleb Wilson in a position he doesn’t want to stay in for long.
Chicago dropped another game Friday night, falling to the Boston Celtics in its NBA Cup matchup and slipping to 1-5 on the season. The loss added to an uneven opening stretch for a team trying to establish a new identity under head coach Tiago Splitter.
Wilson, though, wasn’t in the mood to treat the skid like something to live with. After the game, the rookie made it clear he has no interest in getting comfortable with defeat.
“I’ve never been a loser,” Williams said. “I’m not ever going to be accepting of losing. It’s my job to be a leader on this team.
“It’s probably mostly my fault we started the way we did, whether I’m a young player or not. I’ll take ownership of that, and it won’t happen again.”
That kind of response fits the way Wilson has played so far. The fourth overall pick led the Bulls with 23 points against Boston, adding five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. He also showed off his range, hitting six of 11 shots from three-point distance, while chipping in two blocks and one steal.
The results have been messy, but Wilson’s early production has given Chicago something to build on. The Bulls are still in the early part of their rebuild, and Wilson is expected to be a major piece of what comes next.
His first weeks in the league have already come with some hard lessons. Even so, the rookie’s play has offered signs that Chicago may have found a player willing to carry both the burden and the standard that comes with it.
In Other News...
Bulls Frontcourt Issue Just Got More Urgent Before 76ers Matchup
Chicagos frontcourt picture got a little clearer on the injury report, but not necessarily better. Ahead of the matchup with Philadelphia, the Bulls listed Nic Claxton as doubtful with a hamstring strain, while Jalen Smith and Tobe Awaka were both tagged probable despite minor injuries. With Joel Embiid also questionable for the 76ers because of a foot issue, the game carries a little extra weight in the paint, where Chicago has been trying to sort out its rotation and protect itself from another thin night inside.
Assistant Tiago Splitter said Claxton is not yet ready to go, and the Bulls are monitoring him closely in practice as they wait to see how he responds. For a team already managing frontcourt availability, the timing matters, especially with a Philadelphia opponent that can change the tone of a game quickly if Embiid is available. Chicago does not have much margin to improvise here, so the next update on Claxton will be worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Finally Have A Chance To Prove This Wasn't A Fluke
Nic Claxton is back in full practice after the hamstring injury that slowed him in training camp, and that gives the Bulls a new frontcourt decision to sort through. Jalen Smith has held up well in the early going, giving Chicago a reason to think twice before changing what has worked so far.
The timing makes the choice even more interesting. Smith has played his way into the conversation with steady production through six games, but Claxtons return adds a different look and a longer-term question about how the Bulls want to build their rotation. For a team trying to keep momentum, the next stretch could say plenty about whether this becomes a true competition or just a temporary pause in the status quo. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Face A Brutal Test Against A Contender Showing Cracks
The Bulls are heading into a difficult early-season measuring stick with Philadelphia sitting atop the Eastern Conference at 6-1, even if the 76ers have not looked fully polished on offense. Chicago, off to a 1-5 start, gets a chance to see where it stands against a contender that has still found ways to win, often in tight games, while sorting through its own issues on both ends of the floor.
Philadelphia has leaned on its top-end talent and enough late-game execution to keep stacking wins, but there are signs the attack has not been as clean as the record suggests. For Chicago, the bigger question is how much of a challenge this becomes if the Sixers are missing a key piece, with Joel Embiid listed as questionable as the matchup approaches. [Read more 🡒]