Caleb Wilson hasn’t played a regular-season game for the Bulls yet, and he’s already forcing the league to take notice.
Chicago has been pumping up its No. 4 overall pick from the moment he arrived, and that buzz has only grown through training camp and preseason. The Bulls have leaned into his talent on the floor, running plenty of offense through him, and the message from the organization has been consistent: they believe Wilson can become the kind of star this team has been missing.
That belief got a little extra validation in the NBA’s annual 2026-27 GM Survey. General managers answered 48 questions, and they were barred from voting for anyone tied to their own organization. Chicago didn’t show up much in the results overall, which fits a rebuilding team, but Wilson did plenty to stand out.
When GMs were asked which rookie they believe will be the best in five years, Wilson landed right alongside No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa at 33.0 percent. Cameron Boozer followed at 23.0 percent, with Darryn Peterson next at 10.0 percent.
That’s a strong sign of how quickly Wilson has made an impression. A few months ago, he was still the consensus No. 4 pick. Now, this survey suggests some of the league’s decision-makers are already revisiting that pecking order.
The respect didn’t stop there. On the Rookie of the Year question, Wilson finished second behind Boozer, who led the way with 50.0 percent of the vote. Wilson checked in at 20.0 percent.
That race may say as much about opportunity as talent. Boozer and Wilson are expected to handle bigger usage than Dybantsa and Peterson, whose teams could be chasing the playoffs this season.
Wilson also showed up in another category that speaks to how much he has impressed early on. Even though he was selected as high as he was, some GMs still considered him for biggest steal of the draft. Brayden Burries took the top spot there, while Wilson tied for fifth with 7.0 percent of the vote.
For a rookie, that kind of attention can get heavy fast. The Bulls haven’t seen expectations climb this high for a newcomer since Derrick Rose walked through the door. But Wilson has been setting a lofty standard for himself since draft night, and that’s a big reason the excitement around him keeps building.
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 🡒]