Caleb Wilson may not be carrying the full weight of the Chicago Bulls’ future, but he’s already one of the league’s most watched rookies before his first NBA game ever counts.
With the season set to tip off next week, Wilson has started showing up on the league’s early player rankings. Bleacher Report slotted him at No. 99 on Wednesday, while ESPN placed him at No. 97 in its September system. CBS Sports went a different route and put him No. 4 on its Top 10 NBA rookies list.
Not every outlet is sold on him yet. The Ringer’s Top 100 did not include Wilson, instead featuring teammates Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, and Norman Powell.
Still, the buzz around Wilson is hard to miss. Some observers are already treating him like a Rookie of the Year candidate, and that kind of attention tracks with the profile he brings into Chicago.
The Bulls made him the No. 4 pick in June after he starred at the University of North Carolina. He enters the league with the type of game new executive Bryson Graham described with his SLAP acronym: size, length, athleticism, and physicality.
Wilson has backed that up with more than just hype. In July’s Summer League, he put together an award-winning run, averaging 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.5 blocks while earning All-Summer League First Team honors.
Chicago is trying to move into a new era, and the franchise is counting on Wilson to be part of that reset.
He has given them a promising start in the preseason, too. Through exhibition play, Wilson is averaging 15.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
In Other News...
Former Bulls Guard Now Faces A Brutal Question About His NBA Future
Rob Dillingham entered the league with plenty of buzz after a strong season at Kentucky and the kind of draft pedigree that usually buys a young guard time to grow. Instead, the former top prospect has found the NBA far less forgiving, as concerns about his size and defensive limitations have made it hard for him to stick, even after being taken eighth overall by Minnesota in the 2024 draft.
Rafael Barlowe and other scouts have started to revisit the evaluation process itself, wondering whether Dillingham was overrated coming out or whether the league is simply less willing these days to wait on young guards to figure it out. For Chicago fans tracking old roster connections and the wider draft landscape, it is a reminder of how quickly a promising name can slip from centerpiece to question mark when teams decide the development window has already closed. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Williams Debate Just Got Even Worse For The Bulls
The Patrick Williams discussion around the Bulls has never really gone away, and the backdrop only makes it tougher. Chicago took Williams with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, then backed up that bet with a four-year, $80 million extension that was supposed to cement him as a core piece. Instead, his development has been uneven enough that the contract now sits alongside the franchises other major long-term decisions, including the expensive Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade that was derailed by injuries.
Patrick Williams is not just being judged on what he has done, but on who was available when Chicago made the call. Tyrese Haliburton has become a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA honoree, which only sharpens the contrast for a Bulls team that also has had to live with limited flexibility because of Williams deal. The latest reminder is less about one players struggles than about how much that draft choice still shapes the organizations present, and how much harder it is to move forward when the alternate path has become so obvious. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Opener Suddenly Hinges On Two Crucial Injury Questions
The Bulls preseason injury ledger has grown crowded in the frontcourt, and the timing is less than ideal with the regular season approaching. Zach Collins has been dealing with a quad issue, Nic Claxton has been working through a hamstring strain, and Chicago has also had to monitor Tobe Awaka and Isaac Okoro on the knee front while backup point guard Tre Jones has already made it back from a hip injury.
What makes the situation tricky is that the opener could depend on how quickly the big-man rotation settles over the next few days. Collins is trending toward a return soon and could be available for the start of the season, but Claxtons status remains the bigger question, leaving the Bulls with at least one significant frontcourt uncertainty as they try to get through the final stretch of preseason without more setbacks. [Read more 🡒]