NBA GMs Have High Expectations For Chicago Bulls Rookie Caleb Wilson

Every year NBA.com posts the latest NBA General Manager Survey, in which NBA decision-makers answer a series of questions--48 to be exact--about the offseason and the upcoming season. NBA.com writer John Schuhmann put together this year's survey. Although the Chicago Bulls don't come up a ton in the survey, recent No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson's presence made sure Chicago didn't go unmentioned completely. 

In the NBA GM survery for the 2026-27 season, Wilson came in second in their Rookie of the Year predictions at 20%. Wilson came behind Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grzzilies, who is expected to win ROY, garnering 50% of the GM vote. Wilson--despite being the fourth overall pick--finished ahead of No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, who came in third at 17% of the vote. 

NBA GMs choosing Boozer and Wilson ahead of Dybantsa for ROY likely is because of opportunity. While Boozer and Wilson will be the unquestioned No. 1 scoring options on their teams, Dybantsa will be sharing usage on offense with future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis and point guard Trae Young, who recently inked a four-year, $212 million extension with the Wizards.

Dybantsa, just like Darryn Peterson of the Utah Jazz, will have plenty of opportunities to score but will have a reasonable cap on just how high those figures can go considering his teammates. 

NBA GMs believe heavily in Wilson in the present and the long-term future, even more so on the latter.

Although he finished second in the NBA GMs 2026-27 ROY vote, Wilson was tied for first place with AJ Dybantsa on the question of "Which rookie will be the best player in five years?" Wilson and Dybantsa both finished at 33%. Five years ago NBA GMs voted Evan Mobely for that same question, and he certainly has lived up to their expectations by nabbing All-Rookie, All-Defensive, All-NBA 2nd Team honors so far. 

Wilson has set the basketball world ablaze as he starts off his NBA career, averaging 15.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG and 4.5 FTA per game.

The efficiency has left a lot to be desired--Wilson possesses a 51.7% True Shooting Percentage over four preseason games, and is shooting below 30% from 3-point range--but Wilson looks like a potentially dominant slasher considering his ability to generate FTAs and how quickly he gets off the floor on his jumps even after setting a screen. In layman's terms, Wilson's explosiveness sets him apart from his peers, and the NBAs GMs appear to agree.