For now Caleb Wilson scored a team-high 15 points in his preseason debut and Bykov ended up beating Phoenix by seven points on Wednesday, his play overall was pretty shaky, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune.
Wilson, the fourth overall pick in June’s draft, was 6-of-15 from the field, including missing all four 3-point attempts, and had three rebounds, two assists and two turnovers in 29 minutes. He picked up his fifth foul early in the third quarter and was hounded all night by the veteran forward Dylan Brooksnotes Poe.
Although Wilson struggled at times during that one-on-one bout, he enjoyed facing Brooks and said he started some trash talk by bringing up recent interaction The 30-year-old wing had p John Collins.
“It was fun, to be honest” said Wilson.I made a few mistakes, but I expected to make them. But it was fun, I won’t lie. When it was my first NBA opponent, it was cool.
“I learned a lot, learned to be more active and ready without the ball. … You can learn a lot from this and I’ll watch the film and get better.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- With a backup point guard Tyus Jones out with a hip injury — he’s considered a day-to-day and head coach Tiago Splitter hopes to have him ready for the regular season opener on Oct. 21, Poe writes — Chicago has been short on ball players. That led to the #15 pick Daleen Swain having more opportunities on the ball. After taking a couple of early losses and struggling in the first half, the rookie settled down and had a good night, for Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. “I just had to stop playing the ball in the backcourt, just make one move and go” said Swain, who finished with 10 points and six assists in 22 minutes.I didn’t want to break the game at first, but if I have an advantage, I just have to get it.”
- Injuries of large men Nick Claxton (hamstring) and Zach Collins (quadriceps muscle) led to Jalen Smith starting in center, with a two-way rookie Tobe is at home acting as backup. While Avaka is short for a big man (6’8″), his impact was immediately felt on the boards as he finished with 14 points (6-of-8 shooting) and 11 rebounds (6 offensive) in 21 minutes. “It is a combination of strength, will and power” Splitter said, according to Lorenzi. “This guy is going to get every rebound.”
- As Poe points out, despite the frontcourt injuries, Patrick Williams didn’t see the court until midway through the third quarter and appeared to be buried on the depth chart behind starters Wilson and Matas Bouzelis and reserves such as Awaka, Leonard Miller and Noah Esseng. Williams, now in his seventh season, is owed $54 million over the next three years, including an $18 million player option for the 2028/2029 season.
- While he’s obviously disappointed that Claxton tweaked his hamstring, Splitter is optimistic about how the former Nets center will round out the roster when he returns, as Joe Cawley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes. “I think it’s a great fit” said Splitter. “I think he can run the court, I think he can protect the rim. His production was not as good as maybe two or three years ago last year. We believe there is a reason behind this and we just want to have the best Nick we can possibly have.” According to Cowley, there’s a chance Collins could return from his quad injury “very soon.”
