Caleb Wilson is about to get his first real NBA audit with the Chicago Bulls.
Preseason is next, and after that comes the regular season - two stretches that should tell fans plenty about what kind of rookie Wilson is right away. The Bulls have reasons to watch him closely, and there are a few specific things that should stand out once the games start counting for something.
The biggest one is how often Wilson gets the ball and what he does with it. Is he going to come out looking like a player ready to attack from the jump, or will his role settle into something more balanced?
That’s one of the first questions preseason should start answering. Wilson appears capable of being a central piece of the offense, and it will be worth tracking how many shots he usually gets and where those chances come from.
Chicago could lean on him more as the season goes on, or the offense could be spread more evenly between Wilson, Matas Buzelis and maybe Norman Powell. Either way, the rookie should be playing with confidence, and that ought to show up in his shot volume.
There’s also the question of where Wilson’s scoring lives. Does he do most of his damage in the paint?
Can he work the midrange? Will he get looks from deep?
The answer might end up being some combination of all three, but preseason and early regular-season action should start drawing that picture.
His 3-point shooting is another major piece of the puzzle. Wilson was strong from long range in summer league, hitting 7-of-11 from deep in his first game and finishing at 41.9% from beyond the arc overall.
If that carries over, it changes the way defenses have to treat him. It opens the floor, gives him more room to operate and makes his offensive game tougher to contain.
When defenders step out on him, that should create more chances for him to get downhill into the paint or pull up in the midrange.
It will also be worth seeing whether the 3-pointer becomes his main priority or just one part of a broader scoring mix. He might lean heavily on it, or he might keep defenses guessing by mixing in paint touches and midrange work. That’s part of what makes this early stretch so important.
Wilson’s fit with his teammates should be just as entertaining to watch. His pairing with Buzelis stands out immediately.
If those two start finding each other and playing off one another, that would be a major boost for Chicago. It also gives the Bulls flexibility in how they manage the rotation, since they can keep one on the floor while the other sits.
That kind of setup keeps quality forward play on the court at all times.
Then there’s Josh Giddey, who could be a useful connector for Wilson on offense. Their dynamic has the potential to produce some highlight-worthy plays, and Wilson gives Giddey another strong option to work with.
For Chicago, Wilson isn’t just another rookie to monitor. He’s one of the players who could help shape the tone of the season. Whether you follow the Bulls closely or not, he’s going to be worth watching.
In Other News...
Bulls Camp Is Already Changing How Fans Should See These Two Youngsters
The Bulls have wrapped up their first week of training camp, and the early returns have given the team a little more to work with when it comes to two young players trying to carve out roles. Head coach Tiago Splitter has pointed to noticeable growth across the roster, but second-year forward Noa Essengue has stood out for the kind of progress that can change how a prospect is viewed before the season even begins.
Essengues camp showing has looked different from his Summer League run, while Dailyn Swain is working through a bigger adjustment of his own as he settles into a lead-guard, distributor role. It is a meaningful shift for Swain after being used more as an ISO scorer at Texas, and the early stretch of camp suggests the Bulls are still sorting out just how quickly he can translate that change into real backcourt value. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Young Core Already Faces A Big Tiago Splitter Test
The Bulls are asking a young roster to grow up with some help from a veteran who has seen just about everything the league can throw at a player. Norman Powell brings 11 NBA seasons and a recent All-Star appearance to a group that is still sorting out its identity, and he has already signaled that he wants to be more than just a name in the locker room. For a team trying to build something sturdier around its younger pieces, that kind of voice matters.
Under Tiago Splitters new staff, the early message has been less about flash and more about structure, with Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue among the players adjusting to new roles and different expectations. Powells presence should help smooth that transition, but it also puts a spotlight on how quickly Chicagos young core can absorb those lessons and turn them into real on-court progress. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Have Better Uses For Pelicans Ties Than This Reunion
Bryson Grahams ties to New Orleans have already shown up once for the Bulls, with the Chicago executive helping bring in veteran shooter Buddy Hield, a player the Pelicans originally drafted. So when another former Pelicans connection surfaced this week, it was natural to wonder whether Chicago might have another angle to explore through that familiar pipeline.
Memphis waived Jordan Hawkins, the ex-Pelicans first-round pick, but the fit in Chicago does not appear likely. Hawkins was a prolific college shooter at UConn, yet he has not carried that success into the NBA, and the Bulls are looking for more immediate help than another reclamation project. For now, the more relevant takeaway is that Grahams New Orleans background can still be useful, just probably not in this particular case. [Read more 🡒]