Two Young Chicago Bulls Among Biggest Summer League Disappointments

Summer League provided Bulls fans with exactly what they wanted to see out of No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson. The rookie out of North Carolina flashed with high-flying dunks, athletic blocks and an accurate three-point shot that seemed to surprise everyone except himself.

However, Las Vegas wasn't so friendly to some of the Bulls' other young players. While Wilson starred, No. 15 overall pick Dailyn Swain struggled mightily, struggling to find the bottom of the net. The Texas product shot just 12.9% from the floor and failed to convert on a single three-point attempt on the way to averages of 4.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

It's no surprise that Swain's performance landed him on John Hollinger's list of the Summer League's biggest disappointments.

"He missed all seven of his 3-point attempts and went an unfathomable 4-of-24 on 2s," Hollinger wrote for The Athletic. "Yiiiiiikes. That's bad. Phenomenally bad, actually. But if we've learned one thing from summer league, it's that we probably shouldn’t overreact to poor shooting performances, because there is little to no correlation between how players shoot in Vegas and how they shoot once real games start."

The small positive side to Swain's showing was that he finished with more assists (nine) than turnovers (seven) across four outings in Vegas. Summer League is usually chock-full of rookies making mistakes and turning the ball over, so with Swain initiating as the primary ball-handler, his ball security should inspire optimism.

Swain also won't be the first or second option for Chicago this early in his career, which will give him the opportunity to gain off-ball reps and find easier shots. Josh Giddey and Tre Jones will presumably be running the first and second units, respectively, and Swain could benefit from playing alongside two of the best passers in the game.

The young guard's struggles also helped mask the shortcomings of another highly drafted Bulls player, Noa Essengue. Chicago's No. 12 overall pick from 2025 played just six NBA minutes as a rookie before season-ending shoulder surgery shut him down for the year. Given the spotlight his injury gave him and rumors that he had grown from 6-foot-8 to 6-foot-11, Summer League provided Essengue the ultimate opportunity to prove doubters wrong.

Yet, the 19-year-old Frenchman underwhelmed in his second Summer League. Essengue averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 43.8% overall and 1-of-6 from deep.

"Essengue wasn't that bad, but he also failed to stand out in his second summer league, and that’s a problem now that the Bulls are under new management," Hollinger said. "He was a lottery pick in 2025, but the Bulls did everything but hang out a neon sign saying, “this guy isn't in our plans” in Vegas. It's kind of a red flag that new coach Tiago Splitter played him for only 11 minutes in the final summer-league game, one where he committed seven fouls (you get 10 in Vegas), scored two points and grabbed one rebound. Seven different non-roster players got more run."

Although Essengue flashed around the rim, his shooting was a big cause for concern. Wilson and Matas Buzelis already project to fill the slasher roles in Chicago's offense, and Essengue's talents will most likely be needed as a 3-and-D player. In four games of G League play last season, Essengue knocked down 23.8% of his triples. At Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, he was a 27.6% three-point shooter. Point blank, the Bulls may be trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

It's far too early to declare somebody a bust or a draft mistake after Summer League, especially when Swain and Essengue have combined to play six minutes of NBA regular season action. But there will be a heightened sense of scrutiny moving forward after the young pair struggled in Vegas, regardless of whether it's deserved or not.