After a rough regular season debut in which he committed nine turnovers and shot just 7-of-21 from the field in Bykova blowout loss to Toronto on Wednesday, the No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson bounced back with a strong performance in Friday morning’s game at Milwaukee, writes Joe Cawley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
While Wilson scored just two points through two quarters, he scored 19 in the second half and saved his best moments for late in the game, including making four free throws in crunch time to secure the win.
“I always feel like I’m going to do the right thing near the end of the game and I love those moments because they show who you really aresaid the rookie forward.It’s just a matter for me to prove myself right. Like, if I want to be the guy, I have to show up and shoot free throws, make clutch shots in the final minutes. So just being able to do that is a big deal.”
Wilson, who had 21 points, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 33 minutes, said in his postgame interview with Chicago Sports Network’s KC Johnson (Link to video on Twitter) that free throws have been a particular focus for him this offseason after he struggled at the line in Summer League.
“Just focus. Focus more than ever. This is a great opportunity play and I am grateful for this opportunity. I will be the most focused and detailed player ever. Time to work” Wilson said.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Starters Josh Giddy and Matas Bouzelis were canceled on the site in favor Three Joneses and Isaac Okoraaccording to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Jones was a plus-24 in 24 minutes on the bench, while Giddy was a team-worst minus-15 in 25 minutes, but head coach Tiago Splitter said after the game that he has no intention of changing the starting lineup for Saturday’s home game against Washington. “Can’t say enough about Tre. He changed the game” Splitter said (Link to Twitter via Johnson).
- Come on, who? – said Wednesday According to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic, he suffered a left wrist injury in preseason that the team will have to deal with through the 2026/27 season, and was originally listed as probable with a sprained left wrist before being upgraded to available (Twitter references). Head coach Tiago Splitter adds Lorenzi, who played down the severity of the injury before Friday’s win. “I haven’t seen it affect his game” Splitter said of Giddy. “I understand that he has something with his wrist. I think he just plays basketball.”
- As for Bouzelis, the third-year forward shot just 2-of-9 from the field and played just 17 minutes — including zero in the fourth quarter. Poe believes Bouzelis, considered part of the team’s core, was a “real concern” being outplayed by guys like Leonard Miller (19 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 24 minutes) who carved out a role for himself in Chicago after initially being considered a throw-in last season Ayo Dosunmu trade with Minnesota.
- Fast forward to the second year Noah Esseng was part of a bench that played a key role in the victory, Poe notes. Although the 2025 lottery pick is a work in progress on offense, Poe believes he has a chance to be the team’s “best on-ball defender” — he had three steals and a block in 17 minutes. Jones had a simple explanation for Essengue’s improvement. “He is not 18” Jones said with a laugh.He is now 19. He is a year older. He’s still very young, but he’s a little bit stronger and the game is slowing down a little bit for him. You can see the confidence in him and he understands the game a little bit more. He picks up the full court. He breaks the boards all the time. … He’s the best teammate.“
- Expect to be the No. 15 overall pick Daleen Swain to see a lot of minutes in the G League early this season, trans Cowley. The rookie guard was ruled out of Wednesday’s game due to an illness, and while he was active in Friday’s game, he didn’t get any playing time. “Now in the G League, when he goes there, I think you have to try everything” said Splitter. “But it is true that when you are the first in possession of the ball, you make more decisions and I think you develop more. Now his future, his position in the NBA, I think he’s a very versatile player. He can play in different positions – with the ball, without the ball – and that’s how we see him.”