The Bulls are in Las Vegas, and the first buzz around Caleb Wilson is already loud.
Chicago opens Summer League against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, and while the bigger picture for 2026-27 may not be setting off fireworks, the next few weeks are drawing plenty of attention. That’s because the Bulls’ new front office added Wilson and Dailyn Swain in the 2026 NBA Draft, with Wilson carrying the kind of upside that has people talking about him as a possible franchise cornerstone. These exhibition games are the first step in showing whether that label sticks.
There’s no reason to panic if the rookie has some rough moments. But the early signs have been strong enough to raise expectations, and that starts with what his new coach and teammate had to say after the first Summer League practices.
Tiago Splitter didn’t sound like a man interested in overdoing the praise, but he still came away impressed.
“Of course, the size and the athletic ability is special," Splitter said. "It’s something you don’t see very often.
Of course, he has got stuff to work on and get better. He’s going to get strong and more balanced and all that.
But he’s a really, really special kid.”
That kind of review matters, especially this early. Splitter has also come across as demanding, not easily wowed, and both Wilson and Swain have already pointed out how serious the former Trail Blazers leader has been in camp. He wasn’t handing out the same level of enthusiasm across the roster, either; on the same day, he gave a much more measured assessment of Noa Essengue.
Swain, meanwhile, had his own reasons for sounding excited about Wilson. The obvious starting point was the athleticism, but what stood out to him was how much else Wilson already brings to the table.
“Everyone highlights his athleticism, which is generational," Swain said. "But he can do a lot of things.
He’s really good at facing up at the elbow, jabbing. He’s got a really good mid-range shot.
He’s been knocking down threes. He is widening his arsenal, so he’s going to be great.”
That mention of the jumper jumps off the page. Wilson’s shooting was the biggest question heading into the draft, since he wasn’t asked to do much from deep at North Carolina. But his form at the combine helped calm some of those concerns, and Swain sounds convinced that part of the game is only going to keep growing.
“It looks good," Swain said of Wilson's shooting chops. "He’s confident, and he puts the work in.
He’s going to continue to put the work in. We come in here every night.
We get in here all the time, so he’s only going to get better as a shooter, but he’s already great.”
For a rookie just getting started in Chicago, that’s the kind of feedback you want. No one is pretending the road ahead is short or easy, and there will be bumps. But Wilson was brought to the Bulls to become their next star, and the people around him already sound like they believe he can grow into that role.
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