The Bulls may be in the middle of a quiet offseason, but Caleb Wilson is already giving people plenty to talk about.
Chicago used the No. 4 pick on the former North Carolina standout, and there’s real belief that he can step in and help on both ends of the floor right away. Around the Bulls, the hope is bigger than that. Some are already looking at Wilson as the kind of talent who could eventually become the superstar this franchise has been searching for since Derrick Rose filled that role.
That kind of buzz got another boost from a familiar voice. Horace Grant, a three-time champion with the Bulls, had plenty of praise for Wilson in a recent Action Network interview, via Rookie Wire's Mack Baltes.
“Oh my goodness, man," Grant said. "What a beast.
What a freakin’ beast. He has all the intangibles, the skillset.
But what I love about him is that he has the mindset of a killer. A dog.
He goes out and gets it. It’s one of the best draft picks since Derrick Rose.
I’m not going to put him with MJ (Michael Jordan) and myself and Pip (Scottie Pippen), but since Derrick Rose, one of the greatest choices the Bulls have made, in my humble opinion.”
Grant stopped short of comparing Wilson to the biggest names in Chicago history, and that part matters. There’s no guarantee he becomes the kind of player Rose, Jordan or Pippen were for the franchise. But the early signs are strong, and Wilson’s work ethic is part of why people around the game think he can keep climbing.
North Carolina fans already saw that side of him. He’s expected to keep pushing, keep grinding, and keep putting in the work needed to reach that next level. For the Bulls, that’s the kind of foundation that can lead to some very interesting nights in Chicago.
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