Caleb Wilson goes for 35 points in summer debut

After losses in his first two summer league games, Wilson got his first victory on Tuesday. The showdown between him and AJ Dybantsa never materialized, as the Wizards shut down the first overall pick, as well as Tre Johnson and Will Riley. Wilson knocked down two more three-pointers, and the perimeter shot that was his big weakness going into the draft has been an asset in Las Vegas. With the Bulls rebuilding and clearly viewing him as a key building block, one can make a case for Wilson being the first rookie off the board in drafts this fall.

After going off for 35 points in his summer league debut, Wilson was bound to slow down some. That’s precisely what happened, as the Bulls forward started slowly. However, he would do more than score against the Jazz, with the final stat line including two steals and five blocked shots. In fantasy basketball, defensive production can compensate for offensive struggles, so that was good to see from Wilson. The negative from his performance on Monday was the 0-of-6 night at the foul line. Wilson is now 2-of-12 from the charity stripe in Las Vegas, but this should not be a long-term concern for fantasy managers.

A late-season injury led to Wilson appearing in 24 games last season, but that did nothing to dissuade draft analysts from placing him among the top players in this draft class. Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks, shooting 57.8 percent from the field and 71.3 percent from the foul line. He doesn’t bring much to the table as a three-point shooter; that’s an area where Wilson will need to improve to unlock his full potential. With the Wilson selection, the Bulls have taken another step toward rebuilding their frontcourt. The rookie will join Matas Buzelis and Nic Claxton, with the latter arriving via trade. With Josh Giddey running the show, Wilson’s athleticism and ability to run the floor should pay dividends early on as the Bulls rebuild.