The Bulls have spent the offseason reshaping the roster, and the latest move - bringing in Buddy Hield just before training camp - only sharpened the picture of what this year is really about. Yes, Chicago has added another proven veteran to help with shooting.
Yes, the front office is clearly trying to compete. But the bigger story isn’t whether this team sneaks into the Play-In Tournament or lands a premium draft slot.
It’s Caleb Wilson.
For Chicago, this season rises and falls with the rookie’s growth. The Bulls have had quality players in the years since Michael Jordan, but the expectations around Wilson are on another level. He might be the most-hyped Bull since Derrick Rose, and that alone tells you how much pressure - and possibility - is sitting on his shoulders.
Wilson has handled that spotlight the right way so far. In Summer League, he played with a noticeable chip on his shoulder and used the stage to attack the parts of his game that still need work.
The three-point shot, defensive intensity and ball-handling all came into focus, even against weaker competition. The point wasn’t just to dominate.
It was to show he was trying to round out the rough edges.
The reason Chicago is so invested in him is obvious. Wilson has the kind of physical profile that can change a team quickly. His wingspan gives him the tools to bother opponents all over the floor, from the perimeter to the rim, and he plays with the force and edge of a player built to impose his will.
That’s also why the Bulls’ veteran additions matter in a different way. Norman Powell and Buddy Hield aren’t just there to pile up wins on their own.
They’re there because they fit around Wilson, helping the team while also giving him support and guidance. The same goes for bringing former fan favorite and gritty defender Taj Gibson onto the coaching staff.
There’s also a line Chicago can’t cross: the veterans can’t start taking too much of the offense away from him. If that happens, Bryson Graham needs to step in and make sure the priority stays clear.
In that sense, the Bulls could finish 10-72 and still call the year a success if Wilson looks like a different player in Game 82 than he did in Game 1. That has to be the center of everything in the building. The Bulls cannot afford to waste a talent like this.
None of that means the team should stop competing. Wilson has already made it clear he wants the standard raised, and losing can wear on a player’s development. Chicago still has to play hard and try to win as many games as it can.
But the final judgment on this season will come down to one question: did Caleb Wilson look as good as advertised? For a fan base that has been through plenty, that answer could mean everything.
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 🡒]