Caleb Wilson just set Las Vegas on fire in his Chicago Bulls summer league debut

After a few weeks of anticipation, Bulls fans finally received their first glimpse of rookie forward Caleb Wilson in on-court action for the Chicago Bulls as they faced the Memphis Grizzlies.  Wilson was nothing short of electric in his Las Vegas Summer League debut.

Wilson had the perfect foil to compete against in this game, as his college rival took the floor for the Grizzlies in forward Cameron Boozer.  Boozer delivered a well-rounded, physical performance, finishing the game with 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists.  Boozer also didn’t hesitate to pick up Wilson as a defensive assignment.

Despite Boozer and, frankly, all five summer league Grizzlies defenders being able to dictate the game toward the Bulls offense, Caleb Wilson delivered a historical summer league performance, scoring 35 points, the most points in a single NBA Las Vegas Summer League game.

From Wilson’s very first possession, he showed a concerted effort to work out his three-point shooting to surprising effect, finding his shots from pull-ups and off the catch. 

Wilson also wasn’t stingy with bringing his energy to the defensive end of the court, finishing the game with three blocks, including an early signature chase-down block in the first half. 

Ultimately, the Bulls could not pull out the win as they lost to the Grizzlies 97-96, despite a last second hero-make by Caleb Wilson.

Surveying Swain and Essengue’s Game

Noa Essengue’s first half against the Grizzlies was servicable.  However, in the second half, Essengue’s energy came alive on both ends of the court.  Personifying a stop sign on defense, Essengue finished the game with four blocks and two steals.  

To Essengue’s credit, he also showed off the athleticism that the previous Bulls front office regime, helmed by Arturas Karnisovas, coveted as Essengue eventually got into a rhythm of attacking the basket downhill on offense to get to the free throw line.  Unfortunately for Essengue and the Bulls alike, Essengue only converted 42.9% of his seven free-throw attempts in the entire game.

As promised, Bulls head coach put the ball in wing Dailyn Swain’s hands as a lead ball handler to minimal effect.  In the first half, the Bulls never displayed any pace to create transition shot attempts, and in the half-court, there was minimal secondary actions or movement to create open looks.  

To give the Bulls grace, summer league squads rarely get enough practice ahead of summer league games to implement well-oiled offensive schemes or build chemistry to play conceptually. 

In the second half, Swain looked like he found an offensive rhythm for himself that allowed him to generate more paint touches and kick the ball out to the perimeter, in addition to showing flashes of athleticism. 

Despite a dismal 3/10 shooting from the field and two turnovers, Bulls fans should be patient with Swain, as his ability to generate paint touches will be the cornerstone of how he develops his NBA on-ball game.

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