NBA Summer League is in full swing, or as Caleb Wilson called it in his post-game interview, the “glorified AAU tournament”. The Bulls’ young star said this in an interview after the Bulls’ loss to the Jazz, not to complain, but to explain what Summer League is like for the players. He went on to say how he was still getting to know many of his teammates whom he had just met earlier that week…
If you watched that game vs the Jazz, it definitely wasn’t hard to tell these guys were not used to playing with each other. Jokes aside, I think Wilson makes a great point; the basketball we are watching is not meant to be pretty. I think that’s an important disclaimer to make before I get into my main takeaways. Summer League is just the first tiny step for these young Bulls on their potential NBA journeys. Just a few years ago, Victor Wembanyama went 2-13 for 9 points in his Summer League debut, and look how he turned out.
In saying that, I will be sharing my many overreactions because why not? Starting my first takeaway with the future MVP…
1. Caleb Wilson is going to be a STAR
Caleb Wilson, where do I start? From the moment the Bulls landed the number 4 overall pick, I have been praying we got this guy. I only really started following basketball and Chicago post-D-Rose era, so to me, we have never really had an out-and-out superstar. Well, I think that is about to change…
First game vs Memphis, second possession of the game, Caleb Wilson pulls up off the dribble at the top of the key and knocks down the triple. He then went on to shoot a staggering 7/11 from beyond the arc on his way to a record-breaking 35-point debut. Not bad for a guy whose biggest flaw was meant to be his lack of shooting.
His second and third games were a bit quieter offensively, as he had to adapt to receiving much more defensive attention. He still managed 19 points in each, with some more threes and some impressive dunks, including a mesmerising poster against Utah that showcased his freak athleticism.
Playmaking-wise, he had to take on a bigger role than usual, and he had his struggles. 13 turnovers in 3 games is not ideal, but a lot of these came when attacking the basket. There were a few errant passes and lazy dribbles here and there, but they are easy to fix up. I think we have seen some development in his playmaking already. Today vs Washington, he had just the 3 turnovers, and I thought he made the right pass most of the time, including some impressive finds in the pick-and-roll and when driving to the basket.
On defence, Wilson made sure to flash his upside, racking up a crazy 13 stocks across the 3 games, including a crazy 5-block game against Utah. From a spectator’s perspective, he is so fun to watch on defence, and the athleticism is undeniable.
Okay, so Wilson has clearly played well in Summer League, but that’s not what makes me so confident he will be a star. It is more his mentality. Either that, or he is the most media-trained 19-year-old of all time.
In the first game vs Memphis, Wilson turned the ball over on a careless behind-the-back pass. Hethen turned, sprinted the full court, and completed an amazing chasedown block to make sure his mistake did not cost the team any points. In an objectively meaningless game, this is what you want to see out of your top draft pick.
I joke about his media training, but seriously, go and watch any of his post-game interviews and tell me this guy won’t be a superstar in the league. He seems to have the perfect mix of confidence, humility, and an insanely high work ethic.
I absolutely love what I have seen from this kid already, and I can not wait to see him suit up for the Bulls this season.
2. Swain is struggling
From the highs for Wilson to the unfortunate lows for Dailyn Swain. So far, this Summer League has been one to forget for the young Bull.
Just three weeks ago, the Bulls drafted Dailyn Swain out of Texas with the 15th overall pick. This was a slightly surprising pick to some, including myself, but the more I looked into him, the more I liked what I saw. A tall, big-bodied two-guard with a good handle who could attack the rim and fit perfectly into the new SLAP (Size, Length, Athleticism, Physicality) system the Bulls are trying to build.
But it has been a rough three-game start for Swain. 3/26 from the floor, including 0/16 across the last two games, there appears to be a lid on the basket for him. These numbers are bad, really bad, and unfortunately, the eye test wasn’t much better. The 21-year-old Longhorn has continually struggled to create his own shot. We have seen plenty of passive side-to-side dribbling from him, but a lack of explosiveness. He has flashed some ability to get to the rim, being unlucky on many chances not to finish.
Hopefully, this is just a small bump in the road to the start of a successful NBA career.
3. Essengue getting benched is not a good sign
The Bulls selected Noa Essengue out of France with the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft just over a year ago. Unfortunately, Noa’s rookie season was short-lived, having undergone season-ending surgery on a shoulder injury.
Across the first three games, Noa has averaged just 8 points per game, taking only 14 shots and struggling to get involved offensively at all. He also seemed to struggle to keep up with the physicality of the games, which is understandable for a guy who is still building up confidence after his injury.
However, the Bulls coaching staff has held Noa accountable, benching him in both the second and third games, where he played just 18 and 17 minutes, respectively. This is an extremely worrying sign for a lottery pick from just one year ago.
Despite his offensive struggles, I thought Noa showed some promising flashes defensively. Having grown over the last season to now stand at 6″11, he was able to use his height and length advantage at his position to contest shots and disrupt passing lanes effectively on many occasions. This was also reflected on the stat sheet, picking up 5 steals and 6 blocks across the three games.
4. Bulls bench rotation may be slim
This follows on directly from my last two points. I am not writing Swain or Essengue off, but they both look far from NBA-ready at this point. So where does this leave the Bulls bench rotation?
I think the Bulls’ starting lineup on opening night is all but locked in: Giddey, Powell, Buzelis, Wilson, and Claxton. The bench rotation is where it gets interesting.
The Swain point guard experiment has failed miserably in Summer League, as it is clear he is more suited to play the two guard at this level. This gives Tre Jones a pretty important role to play as a backup to Giddey. Either he or Dillingham will have to be in charge of running the offense in non-Giddey minutes, and I think it will be Jones. Speaking of Dillingham, though, he may get more minutes than originally thought, which is a great opportunity for further development for him.
I think Isaac Okoro and Jalen Smith were always going to have a big role to play off the bench, but now Essengue doesn’t look ready, who will get the minutes? I mean Patrick Williams, perhaps, which would pain me to have to watch. Does Leonard Miller have a bigger role to play, like at the end of last season? Or, could some new guys sneak their way into the rotation…
5. Undrafted diamonds in the rough
Heading into Summer League, the spotlight was on the three first-rounders, and understandably so. But don’t forget, the Summer League is also a trial for many other guys, suiting up in a Bulls uniform and playing their hearts out to try and earn that NBA contract.
I took the approach of watching the games without looking too much into each player before it, hoping someone would jump off the screen at me. And two guys did. Jaylin Sellers and Tobe Awaka. Both undrafted pick-ups of the Bulls this year.
Starting with Sellers, who got off to a bit of a rough start, struggling from the field in the first two games for a combined 8/25. I saw many Bulls fans slating him for not passing the ball, etc, but what I saw was a confident young man who could create his own shot and wasn’t afraid to let it fly. Sellers then came out against Washington and led the Bulls to their first win, pouring in a game-high 24 points at an efficient clip of 58%.
If I didn’t know him and Swain’s draft position already, I would be thinking it was Sellers who was the Bulls’ first-rounder. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself, but I liked what I saw, and he definitely passed the eye test.
Why was Steven Adams playing for the Bulls Summer League team? Oh wait, never mind, that’s Tobe Awaka. Jokes aside, Awaka looked like the second coming of Steven Adams on the offensive glass. He was absolutely everywhere, fighting for every single board that came his way.
After failing to get involved much in the Bulls’ first outing, Awaka showcased his rebounding ability with 19 boards across the next two games, with 12 of those being offensive rebounds. Yes, you heard that right, 12 offensive boards in two games!!! This wasn’t just something you noticed on the stat sheet; when watching the games, I felt as though he had 20 each game.
Despite being very much on the shorter end for his position at just 6″7, Awaka showed why strength matters more than anything, muscling his way into good rebounding positions. With his lack of height and shooting, his role may be limited in the Bulls’ rotation, but I would love to see him get an opportunity this year. I could see him potentially pairing well in line-ups with Jalen Smith on the floor, a taller, proven big man shooter.
My overall takeaway
Caleb Wilson is my new favourite player. Swain and Essengue may not be ready for the NBA yet, but it’s fine because we have Sellers and Awaka. Oh, and did I mention, Caleb Wilson is my new favourite player.
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