The Chicago Bulls, for the first time in recent history, have a true, potential young star to construct their roster around in Caleb Wilson.
We already know what Wilson's potential looks like on the defensive end of the court. He's highly athletic, and at 6'9" with a 7'0" wingspan, he has the archetypal frame to function as a weak-side shot blocker and a formidable defender both on the interior and the perimeter. The Bulls need more from him, though, than simply defensive upside.
This is a multi-year projection, and there shouldn't be pressure on Wilson to develop into a polished offensive threat immediately. But in the long-term, it's his offensive skill set that will determine his ceiling. He needs to gain strength and become more comfortable taking the ball downhill through contact, and that will be a strong start toward developing a well-rounded offensive game.
But at the end of the day, it's the complementary aspects of his game that will make the difference. If he can develop into a solid secondary playmaker on this Bulls roster (or a high-level perimeter shooter, which feels less likely) his path to stardom in Chicago will become much clearer.
Caleb Wilson needs to start developing as a playmaker during his rookie season in Chicago
For a player to have a truly well-rounded offensive game, they need to do everything well at some level. For the average player, this means consistently flashing three of four potential skill-sets— downhill scoring, perimeter shooting, offensive rebounding, and complementary playmaking.
Wilson has both the downhill scoring and the rebounding covered in his long-term projections. He's a formidable, athletic threat with the ball in his hands in the interior, and he averaged 2.8 offensive rebounds per game during his time at North Carolina. The other two skill sets will be the crux, then, of his development.
Wilson did hit seven of his 11 3-point attempts in his electrifying Summer League debut, and he sunk 41.9% of his attempts from beyond the arc during the entirety of his stint in Las Vegas. But let's not bank upon that being something that translates to the NBA level—at least at that rate. Wilson shot just 25.9% from 3-point range at the college level, and his jumper still looks a bit wonky entering the NBA.
If he can start to hit his perimeter shots at a rate of 35 or 36%, that should be sufficient. But that's not enough to consider it a bona fide part of his offensive skill set.
Where the difference lies, then, could be in his playmaking abilities. He averaged just 2.7 assists to two turnovers at North Carolina, but he showcased an understanding of how to work his role in the offense to near perfection. Chicago, at the very least, needs to give him the chance to run some actions on his own over the course of his rookie season.
When Josh Giddey is targeted by opposing defenses, it won't cost the Bulls anything to at least give it a shot.
He'll need a tighter handle and the ability to process the floor more quickly, but if Tiago Splitter and the rest of Chicago's coaching staff can maximize that aspect of his game, they'll have a true developmental path to stardom already charted out for the young forward.
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