Caleb Wilson sends message to rookies at NBA Summer League

The NBA Summer League is just about a week old and already Chicago Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson is making a big first impression. Not only is Wilson earning the praise of local media but the national media as well.

Wilson dropped 35 points in his debut on Friday and then followed it up with a 19-point performance on Monday and then another 19-point performance on Tuesday night. He helped the Bulls earn their first win of Summer League against the Washington Wizards, in a game many thought he wouldn’t miss.

With Darryn Peterson missing games for the Utah Jazz and No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa missing games for Washington, it’s Wilson and fellow ACC alum Cameron Boozer still playing. And that’s just how Wilson wants it.

Caleb Wilson sending a message in NBA Summer League

As mentioned above, both Dybantsa and Peterson played in just two games before they were shut down. But that’s not the case for Wilson who told his head coach Tiago Splitter that he wanted to play on Tuesday night. After the win, Wilson stated that he expected Peterson to play on Monday as well. He delivered a quote that should have Bulls fans fired up.

“I feel like I’m different than all of them,” Wilson said. “Not to say they don’t, but I enjoy basketball. I love this shit. 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 don’t feel good. Because I know in the NBA, I’m not going to feel good some games. If I don’t have an injury or something actually wrong with me, I’m going to play.”

He also stated that he felt weird during Monday’s game because he expected Peterson to play.

“I’m not disappointed. I felt like yesterday was kind of weird for me yesterday, honestly, because I expected to play against Darryn [Peterson]. I expected to play against a lot of players they had who sat out. When I came into the game, I didn’t have the right mindset. I’m a real competitor, I want to compete against the best players. I feel like that led to me not having my best game.”

Asked why he played today when other high draftees have sat, Wilson says “I feel like I’m different than all of them. Not to say they don’t, but I enjoy basketball. I love this shit. I’m going to play as much as I can.

Is he disappointed that Peterson/Dybantsa didn’t play?

“I… pic.twitter.com/DXjBmrtLR8

— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) July 15, 2026

Wilson once again shows his awesome mentality that many are raving about. He’s a competitor. He wants to play against the best and he’s disappointed he didn’t get to.

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