The No. 4 overall pick said he's "different" from AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson after playing two Summer League games in a row.
The Summer League is a place for NBA rookies to learn the lay of the land and show off their skills while garnering real playing experience. Some of the top picks in last month's draft had a cup of coffee in Summer League before their teams shut them down, so as to prevent any injuries before the regular season begins.
No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa averaged 25.0 points over two appearances before the Washington Wizards announced he would not play again this summer. No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson played two games in Las Vegas with an average of 23.5 points per game, and he appears to be done until the regular season as well.
Not Caleb Wilson, though. The No. 4 overall pick by the Chicago Bulls scored a rookie debut record 35 points against the Grizzlies, then put up another solid performance against the Peterson-less Jazz. However, instead of shutting it down after giving Bulls fans a sneak peek of what he'll bring to the team, Wilson insisted on playing a third game against the Wizards on Tuesday, despite facing Utah less than 24 hours prior.
His reasoning? The Bulls had lost each of their first two Summer League games, and even though the results are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, Wilson wanted to get his team a win nonetheless. Chicago's 19-year-old rookie went directly to executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham to request to play in the back-to-back.
"I just asked BG, could I play?" Wilson told reporters after defeating the Wizards, 99-87, on Tuesday night. "I didn't want to finish how I finished last night, and I wanted to win a game before I stop. I don't get to play again until October, probably, or whenever the season starts. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can, and there's no better place to do that than Summer League."
Graham told him that as long as Wilson's body was feeling good, he could play. The 6-foot-10 forward achieved exactly what he wished for, leading the Bulls to victory with 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block.
Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the fourth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson after he was selected by the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesAcross three Summer League appearances, Wilson is averaging 24.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 50.9% overall and 48.0% from deep.
"I also wanted to prepare for back-to-backs in the league, because that's what I'm gonna have to do," Wilson added. "I want to be an elite NBA player, so that's good to start now."
Wilson faced No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer in his first game against the Grizzlies, but never actually got to compete against Dybantsa or Peterson, who both rested.
Asked why it was so important for him to play even as Dybantsa and Peterson didn't, Wilson said he's "different from all of them."
"I can't say they don't enjoy basketball, but I enjoy basketball," Wilson said. "I love this s--t. I'm going to play as much as I can, as much as my team will let me. I'm not the type to go away from a game because I don't feel like I feel good, because I know in the NBA, I'm not going to feel good some games. As long as I don't have an injury or something that's wrong with me, I'm gonna play every time. People come from all over the world to see me play, so I don't want to let them down."
Needless to say, Wilson will have plenty of opportunities to face Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer throughout his NBA career.
