The Bulls’ summer has already given Chicago one of its most encouraging developments in Caleb Wilson, and that matters for more than just the rookie’s own outlook. His start in Summer League is giving the team a real jolt, and it may be the best thing that could have happened for Noa Essengue.
Wilson backed up his 35-point debut with another strong performance against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. It’s still Summer League, so nobody should get carried away, but the early signs are loud enough to matter. He already looks like the kind of two-way star the Bulls hope he can become.
That’s especially important because the rest of Chicago’s young group has not matched that level of production. Dailyn Swain managed only four points and shot 0-for-9 against the Jazz.
Jaylin Sellers has flashed some offense, but he’s also been inefficient and too ball-dominant at times. Tobe Awaka, meanwhile, has not offered much on the offensive end.
Essengue has drawn the sharpest concern of all. The forward entered the 2025 NBA Draft as a coveted, athletic prospect, but a shoulder injury cost him nearly all of his rookie season. In two Summer League games, he has scored 16 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
He has also looked overmatched physically and athletically against opponents with real NBA experience, and the ball still seems to make him uncomfortable. That isn’t a surprise for a player who was always going to need time to add size and strength, but these first two outings have made the gap pretty clear.
Without Wilson, Essengue might have been staring at a much bigger role heading into next season. There’s an argument that being forced into that kind of pressure could have pushed him to play with more force. But with Wilson now in the picture, Chicago can let Essengue develop at a slower pace.
That changes the picture not just for Summer League, but for the bigger arc of his sophomore year. Essengue still looks like an important piece of the Bulls’ rebuild, but Wilson’s arrival has taken a lot of the immediate weight off his shoulders.
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Nic Claxton is suddenly part of that picture in a bigger way, with his versatility looking like a strong match for a team trying to play faster and more athletically after the Nikola Vucevic era. If Wilson keeps flashing this kind of upside, the Bulls could end up with a frontcourt pairing that changes the tone of the roster and gives the team a real path back toward relevance. [Read more 🡒]