Caleb Wilson posts 16 points, nine turnovers

Caleb Wilson has been as advertised in the pre-season. It will not take long for him to be the best player on the Bulls. The highlight reel bias with Wilson will be very strong this year, so he will be a candidate to sell high in certain situations because of the high scoring and flashy dunks.

After logging 32 minutes in Friday’s exhibition against the Grizzlies, Wilson played 17 on Sunday. The rookie forward committed five turnovers, but his shooting improved when compared to his 7-of-17 night against Memphis. With the Bulls rebuilding, Wilson will have a lot of leeway on offense, and he should be one of the NBA’s top rookies. Fantasy managers will simply hope that efficiency won’t be too much of an issue.

Wilson started and played 32 minutes, which was the most of anyone on either team. The 20-year-old forward who was the fourth overall pick in the draft had 21 points on 17 attempts. He bounced back after missing all four of his three-point attempts in his last preseason game to make 5-of-11 threes against the Grizzlies. Wilson is an intriguing pick with upside in the top-75 of fantasy drafts this year.

Wilson made his unofficial Bulls debut as a starter, and he should keep that role once the regular season begins. The rookie didn’t have a good night from deep, missing all four of his three-point attempts, but that’s an area where he performed better than expected during Summer League. Playing off a point guard like Josh Giddey should give Wilson ample transition opportunities, potentially offsetting any perimeter shooting concerns.

Wilson may have shot the ball reasonably well on Thursday, but this was his worst showing in Las Vegas by some distance. More damaging than the 1-of-6 day from beyond the arc was the turnover count, as the lottery pick was responsible for eight. Wilson has said he does not plan to sit at all, but the Bulls will have nothing to play for in their fifth and final game. And his absence could create opportunities for fellow first-round pick Dailyn Swain (four points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal), who has struggled throughout Chicago’s time in Las Vegas.

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.

What a night for Wilson, who set the franchise record for most points in a summer league debut. While there were some negatives, most notably the six turnovers, Wilson’s shot-making ability was highly impressive. He shot 7-of-11 from beyond the arc, including one as time expired. Given his perimeter shooting struggles during his lone season at North Carolina, it would be a game-changer for Wilson and the Bulls if he can consistently hit those shots once the games count.

Three days after it was reported that the Bulls picked up Miller’s contract option for next season, they have now fully guaranteed it. A double-digit scorer in 17 of his final 18 games, the 2023 second-round pick averaged 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 three-pointers per game after joining the Bulls as part of the trade that sent Ayo Dosunmu to Minnesota. While the contract does give Miller some security, his chances of affecting fantasy basketball aren’t great after the Bulls used one of their two first-round picks on Caleb Wilson in the draft.

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.