LAS VEGAS \u2014 There were a few down moments for Caleb Wilson in his first three Summer League games.<\/p>\n
He missed too many free throws and had some bad turnovers.<\/p>\n
But my, oh, my, were there highs for the Bulls rookie.<\/p>\n
The franchise has been searching for \u201cthat dude\u201d for years, and it might have found him with the No. 4 overall pick. And it\u2019s not just his athleticism and two-way above-the-rim game. There\u2019s a swagger that Wilson carries with him that few Bulls have displayed since Joakim Noah was patrolling the paint over a decade ago.<\/p>\n
Wilson just gets it.<\/p>\n
He does the right things and says the right things.<\/p>\n
While top picks AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson were sitting out back-to-backs \u2014 both against the Bulls coincidentally \u2014 Wilson was asking vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham to let him play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to win a game before I stop,\u201d Wilson said to reporters after the Bulls\u2019 victory over the Dybantsa-less Wizards on Tuesday night. \u201cI don\u2019t get to play again until October, probably, or whenever the season starts. I\u2019m just trying to learn as much as I can, and there\u2019s no better place to do that than Summer League.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about Peterson and Dybantsa skipping a showdown with him and the Bulls, Wilson, 19, said that he\u2019s \u201cdifferent from all of them.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t say they don\u2019t enjoy basketball, but I enjoy basketball,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u2018\u2018I love this [expletive]. I\u2019m going to play as much as I can, as much as my team will let me. I\u2019m not the type to go away from a game because I don\u2019t feel good because I know in the NBA, I\u2019m not going to feel good some games. As long as I don\u2019t have an injury or something that\u2019s wrong with me, I\u2019m gonna play every time. People come from all over the world to see me play, so I don\u2019t want to let them down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wilson need not worry about that, averaging 24.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 1.3 steals while shooting 60% from the field and 50% from three-point range. He was one of the bigger winners through the first week of Summer League but not the only one.<\/p>\n
Winner: The top of the 2026 draft class \u2014 There\u2019s no doubt the \u201926 class was talented, drawing comparisons to the vaunted 1996 draft class and 2003, but the first four picks \u2014 Dybantsa, Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Wilson \u2014 all looked like franchise-changers and future All-Stars.<\/p>\n
Loser: Dailyn Swain \u2014 While Wilson put the \u201cgas\u201d in Vegas, Swain became the player who went bust. Yes, he was playing point guard, which was new to him, but going 3-for-26 from the field (11.5%) and missing all seven three-pointers through the first three games wasn\u2019t a great look for the No. 15 overall pick. The silver lining? The games don\u2019t count.<\/p>\n
Winner: Labaron Philon Jr. \u2014 Summer League reporter: \u201cSo what can we expect from you in the second half?\u201d<\/p>\n
Philon: \u201cA lot of cookin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s exactly what the 76ers rookie has done, playing at a high level and trash-talking even higher. Philadelphia might have stolen one in Philon with pick No. 22.<\/p>\n
Loser: Darius Acuff Jr.\u2019s defense \u2014 Acuff felt it was crazy that he slipped down to No.\u20097, but the knock on him all along was his defense. That knock was alive and well in Vegas, as the Kings might allow 130 a night at this rate.<\/p>\n
Winner: The Nets \u2014 Brooklyn might have a Batman and Robin backcourt in the making with rookie Mikel Brown Jr. and second-year guard Egor Demin. Brown is an electric ball-handler and highlight; Demin added muscle and craftiness to his game.<\/p>\n
Loser: Keaton Wagler\u2019s first step \u2014 Yes, the Illinois guard can shoot it, but the lack of separation he displayed against a lot of future G-leaguers was concerning. The good news for Wagler is the NBA regular season will give him more space to operate. He\u2019ll need it.<\/p>\n
Winner: Two of the three Michigan guys \u2014 Morez Johnson Jr. (No. 9), Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11) and Aday Mara (No. 12) were all lottery selections. Johnson and Lendeborg look like immediate fits for their teams \u2014 the Mavericks and Warriors, respectively \u2014 while Mara looked awkward and slow. The good news? Golden State can bring the 7-3 big along slowly.<\/p>\n
Loser: Those who passed on Cameron Carr \u2014 There weren\u2019t 23 better players than Carr in the \u201926 draft class, and Carr (selected No. 24) is showing that. The Lakers guard is a bucket whenever he touches the ball, scoring from all three levels.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Because of the enormous shoes the next analyst will fill, the Bulls are leaning toward using several analysts this season to ease the pressure on them, the Sun-Times has learned.<\/p>\n [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] read<\/p>\n![\"Bulls](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/1817b8f\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3443x2295+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F47%2F52%2F035fcfbf46049e2e4d0c48b6271d%2Fbulls-nuggets-basketball-1.jpg\")
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