The NBA built its Summer League schedule to give fans the matchups they wanted, lining up the top four picks from this draft against each other in Las Vegas. Caleb Wilson wanted those games more than anyone. He only got one of them.
Wilson and No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer met in a tight opener, and the Bulls’ No. 4 selection went off for 35 points. Boozer’s team escaped with a 97-96 win, but the head-to-head delivered. The rest didn’t materialize. Both the Jazz and Wizards shut down their rookies before their scheduled dates with Wilson, leaving Bulls fans and Wilson himself let down.
The Competitive Streak Shows
Wilson had circled the Monday game against Utah’s Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 pick. When the Jazz sat Peterson, along with recent first-rounders Ace Bailey and Cody Williams, it knocked Wilson off his rhythm. He admitted afterward that he came in without the right mindset because he had been preparing to test himself against Utah’s best. He called himself a real competitor who wants to face the best players on the floor.
He still produced. The scoring wasn’t at his 35-point level, but he posted 19 points and five blocks, leaned harder into his defense when his three-ball wasn’t falling, and closed with a fourth quarter that included one of the best dunks of the entire Summer League.
The No. 1 overall pick, AJ Dybantsa, was next on the calendar. Washington scratched that one too, shutting Dybantsa down after two Vegas outings. Wilson said he took the floor for the Wizards game with a clearer head, focused on running the offense and setting up teammates.
The Message He Sent
Wilson didn’t hide his frustration with how the week played out. After grabbing his first Summer League win on Tuesday, he made his stance plain: he sees himself as different from the other top picks, he loves the game, and he intends to play as much as his team allows. He pointed out that people travel to watch him, and he doesn’t want to disappoint them by sitting.
That drive is the story of the week. Wilson asked Bryson Graham directly for the chance to play a back-to-back, a rarity for a high pick, because he wanted an early taste of NBA life. The rookie wall is a real thing waiting down the line, and the Bulls are unlikely to run him out for a full four-game Summer League slate. Chicago’s new franchise centerpiece spent this stretch proving the motor and competitiveness scouts flagged before the draft were exactly as advertised.
