The NBA Summer League has its value to professional basketball. It is a great way for young talent who may not be fully developed yet to get much-needed work under the guidance of pro coaches. However, one might ask what the point is of higher draft choices playing there. Don’t count Caleb Wilson among them. The Chicago Bulls‘ #4 overall pick doesn’t just plan to play in the Summer League, but is actively looking forward to it. Sure, part of it is the chance to keep working on his game. However, the real motivation is a chance at sending a message.
Don’t let anybody fool you. Wilson wasn’t happy being the 4th pick in this draft behind guys like A.J. Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer. He feels in his heart that he is the better player. After all, he proved it last season when he played all three of them. He put up big numbers against Dybantsa in the preseason and did the same to Boozer and Peterson during the regular season, beating both of them. If that wasn’t enough to prove his point, he’ll use the upcoming opportunity in the Summer League to do it again.
“I mean, I played all of them now. So, I mean, you know what happened when I played them. So, I mean, it don’t really matter. I don’t really care about the media. I’m a competitor, and I get to play them in Summer League, too. So, whatever needs to be done to prove that I’m on the same level or that I’m better, we’ll do it.”
| Opponent | Date / Game Type | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Shooting Efficiency | Game Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJ Dybantsa (BYU) | Oct 24, 2025 Preseason Exhibition | 22 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9-17 FG (52.9%) 4-6 FT | Loss (76–78) |
| Darryn Peterson (Kansas) | Nov 7, 2025 Regular Season | 24 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 9-11 FG (81.8%) 6-9 FT | Win (87–74) |
| Cameron Boozer (Duke) | Feb 7, 2026 Regular Season | 23 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8-12 FG (66.7%) 1-2 3PT / 6-6 FT | Win (71-68) |
Caleb Wilson has all the motivation he needs.
This is a young man who feels people slept on him because he didn’t get to play in the NCAA tournament. He missed it because of a broken thumb. There was no national stage for him to show his obvious ability. Yet all you have to do is look at how North Carolina played without him to understand his value. The Tarheels were 19-4 in games that Wilson started and finished last season. They were 5-5 in games he failed to finish or did not play in. That is what happens when a superstar is out of the lineup.
Meanwhile, Dybantsa hung 35 in a tournament loss to Texas, Peterson had two quality games, and Boozer got his team to the Elite Eight. All three go ahead of Wilson in the draft, in his mind, not because they’re better players but because they were in front of the public eye longer. It’s easy to understand why he has a chip on his shoulder. The Summer League games may not mean anything in the grand scheme, but they serve as that first opportunity for Wilson to remind those other teams that they made a mistake.
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All of this goes back to why the Bulls wanted him.
Would they have selected Dybantsa #1 overall if the situation had been reversed? There is no way to tell. It’s just like asking: would the Bulls have taken Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984, or would they still have gone with Michael Jordan? None of this changes the fact that Chicago knew they were getting something serious with Caleb Wilson. His athletic upside is the highest of anybody in the draft. Combine that with the kind of competitive streak he exudes, and it’s hard to imagine him not being a star.
Being excited to play Summer League games expressly to get revenge leans into that. In case you were wondering, that kind of mentality is not normal. Many players would’ve just been happy to get drafted that high, assuring themselves millions of dollars and a golden opportunity to play in basketball’s greatest league. Not Wilson. He has high expectations of himself and wants to be great. Acknowledgment of future greatness comes from being the #1 pick. The NBA didn’t give him that, and now it must pay.
