Caleb Wilson didn’t hide what he wanted out of Summer League in Las Vegas. He wanted the matchups.
He wanted the best players. And when those games got pulled off the board, he made it clear the whole thing felt off.
The Bulls’ No. 4 pick had already delivered one of the event’s loudest performances, dropping 35 points in a tight 97-96 loss to Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick. That was the showdown everyone circled when the schedule came out. The next two were supposed to keep the top-pick spotlight rolling, with Darryn Peterson and then AJ Dybantsa lined up to face Wilson.
Instead, both of those games disappeared before tipoff. Utah shut down Peterson, and the Wizards ruled out Dybantsa after two outings in Las Vegas.
Ace Bailey and Cody Williams, Utah’s first-rounders from the prior two drafts, were also unavailable. For Wilson, that changed the feel of the night in a hurry.
“I feel like yesterday was kind of weird for me, honestly, because I expected to play against Darryn," Wilson said. "I expected to play against a lot of the players they had, so when I came into the game, I didn’t have the right mindset, in my opinion … I’m a real competitor, and I want to play against the best players, so I feel like that led to me not having my best game yesterday.”
Even with that off night by his standards, Wilson still put together a strong line: 19 points and 5 blocks. The shot wasn’t dropping from deep, but he kept grinding on defense, and he finished with a fourth quarter highlight that gave Summer League one of its best dunks.
Afterward, Wilson said the Dybantsa matchup being scratched gave him a better feel for how to approach the game. He focused more on making the right reads and setting up teammates, and that showed in how he handled the night.
But if the idea was to cool him off, it didn’t work. Wilson was still plenty direct about how he sees himself and how he wants to play.
"I feel like I’m different than all of them," Wilson said confidently. "I can’t say they don’t enjoy basketball, but I enjoy basketball.
I love this sh*t. I’m going to play as much as I can, as much as my team will let me.
I’m not the type to go away from a game because I don’t feel good. I know in the NBA, I’m not going to feel good some days.
As long as I don’t have an injury or something that’s actually wrong with me. People come from all over the world to see me play, so I don’t want to let them down, too.”
That kind of attitude is part of why Wilson has already stood out beyond the box score. He specifically asked Bryson Graham for the chance to play back-to-backs, wanting a real taste of NBA life. That sort of workload is unusual for a top rookie in Summer League, and it would not be surprising if the Bulls keep him to one more game, even though the team has not announced anything.
For now, Wilson has already shown Chicago plenty. The talent is obvious.
The motor is obvious. And just as important, so is the mindset.
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