The NBA Summer League has officially concluded after the Golden State Warriors took down the Memphis Grizzlies to win the Summer League title. Less than 24 hours after the final game ended, outlets began dropping their mild to hot takes from what they saw over the last few weeks, and naturally Caleb Wilson has come up a bit. But it’s ESPN’s take on the dynamic Tar Heel that has been perhaps the most interesting so far.
Ben Golliver wrote a piece discussing who he thought was the best player during Summer League play, and while he decided that Cameron Boozer was the Summer League MVP, he dubbed Wilson as the most electric rookie. Here is what he had to say about Wilson’s impressive four-game performance:
“No player generated more buzz in Las Vegas than Wilson, who poured his heart into the event after his one-and-done season at the University of North Carolina was cut short by a right thumb injury.
Wilson, 20, performed like an athlete forced to bottle up his energy and competitive juices for the past five months. In between monster two-handed slams, he blocked shots at the rim, pushed the ball in transition, threaded 40-foot bounce passes on the run and showed off his improved three-point shot. While the 6-foot-9 Wilson seems like a natural fit at power forward, it’s possible that he’s quick and versatile enough to also function as an oversize wing.“
Golliver went on to discuss Wilson’s impressive athleticism and overall performance compared to the other members of the big four (AJ Dybantsa, Boozer, and Darryn Peterson). He also discussed some of the things that didn’t go quite as well during Summer League play — mainly the turnover issue — but wrapped things up by saying that Wilson looks like the most exciting Bull since Derrick Rose, which is music to Bulls’ fans ears.
While Golliver had some good thoughts about Wilson’s four-game stretch, it has to be pointed out that Wilson did not have good pieces around him. Fellow rookie Dailyn Swain had an awful showing, sophomore forward Noa Essengue looked rough around the edges outside of his defense, and it really wasn’t until Wilson sat during the final game that anybody else stepped up in a notable way offensively — Donovan Atwell went off for 22 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wilson will have much better pieces around him during the Bulls regular season, and with that I’d expect fewer turnovers and forced situations.
Overall, the Bulls front office has to be excited about Wilson, as do Bulls fans around the world. What do you think about Wilson’s Summer League performance? Do you plan to watch/follow him during his rookie season? Let us know in the comments below.
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