Caleb Wilson didn’t waste any time making his presence felt in Las Vegas.
In his Chicago Bulls summer league debut against the Memphis Grizzlies, the rookie forward put on a show, scoring 35 points in a 97-96 loss and setting the NBA Las Vegas Summer League single-game scoring mark. From the opening possession, Wilson came out looking to test his three-point shot, and the results were better than anyone could have asked for. He knocked down looks both off the dribble and off the catch, giving the Bulls an early jolt.
The matchup had a built-in edge, too, with Wilson seeing his college rival Cameron Boozer across the floor for Memphis. Boozer delivered a strong all-around game of his own, finishing with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists while also taking on Wilson as a defensive assignment.
Wilson’s night wasn’t just about scoring. He brought real pop on the defensive end as well, finishing with three blocks and flashing one of the game’s most memorable plays with an early chase-down block in the first half. Even with Memphis able to control stretches of the game on the defensive side, Wilson still found a way to deliver a last-second hero make that nearly stole the win for Chicago.
The Bulls also got a closer look at Noa Essengue and Dailyn Swain.
Essengue’s first half was merely serviceable, but he came alive after halftime. He turned into a disruptive force defensively, piling up four blocks and two steals while showing the kind of athleticism the previous Bulls front office regime, led by Arturas Karnisovas, valued. Offensively, Essengue started attacking downhill more consistently and earned trips to the line, though he only made 42.9% of his seven free-throw attempts.
Swain, meanwhile, was used as a lead ball handler as Bulls head coach promised, but the early returns were limited. Chicago didn’t generate much pace in the first half, and the half-court offense lacked the kind of movement or secondary actions needed to create clean looks. That said, summer league teams rarely have the time to build polished systems, and Swain looked more comfortable in the second half, when he found a better offensive rhythm, got into the paint more often and showed flashes of athleticism while setting up perimeter kick-outs.
In Other News...
Bulls Suddenly Have A Rare Chance To Make A Defining Swing
The Bulls are at least worth watching here because Michael Porter Jr. has surfaced as a possible trade target if Brooklyns contract talks go sideways, and that kind of star-level availability can change a teams planning in a hurry. For Chicago, the appeal is obvious: Porter would bring a proven scoring wing to a roster that has spent too long looking for more high-end talent on the perimeter, and any serious pursuit would likely require the Bulls to get creative with matching salary and decide how aggressive they want to be.
The framework being floated would not be a small one, either, which is part of what makes this such a meaningful hypothetical for Chicagos front office. Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro and either Zach Collins or Rob Dillingham have been mentioned as pieces that could help make the money work, but the real question is whether the Bulls see Porter as the kind of swing worth taking now, with the possibility that he could even become a movable asset again later if the season breaks the right way. [Read more 🡒]
Classic Bulls Era Fleer Set Suddenly Has Collectors Watching Again
The 1987-88 Fleer basketball set keeps drawing attention because it sits right in the middle of a loaded era, with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alex English and even Manute Bol all packed into one release. For Bulls fans, it is the kind of cardboard time capsule that still feels connected to the franchises rise, and it has remained a steady target for collectors who chase the biggest names from that period.
What makes the set interesting now is how uneven the market has been around it. Some of the key cards and stickers have posted eye-catching sales in recent years, while others have cooled off after earlier spikes, which has kept collectors watching the set closely instead of treating it like a finished story. The second-year Jordan base card and the sticker subset still sit at the center of that conversation, and the latest movement has only added to the sense that this old Fleer issue is not done making noise. [Read more 🡒]