The NBA announced Tuesday that the Chicago Bulls’ No. 4 overall pick, Caleb Wilson, was named to the NBA All-Summer League First Team. He joins Memphis forward Cameron Boozer (No. 3), Milwaukee guard Brayden Burries (No. 10), Golden State’s Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11) and Cleveland’s Meleek Thomas (No. 34) on the five-man roster. Wilson is the second-highest draft selection to make the cut after Boozer.
Wilson logged the minimum four games required for First Team consideration and made every minute count. In his debut he went 7-for-11 from three-point range, and he finished the Las Vegas stint shooting 41.9 percent from deep. Those numbers placed him among the most efficient shooters in the tournament and underscored the three-point burst that addressed the primary question scouts raised about his game entering the draft.
All First Team selections were chosen by a vote of all 30 NBA teams based on Summer League production. Each of the five honorees played at least four games. Boozer and Lendeborg logged six games each, the most in the event, and faced off in the championship game, which the Warriors won. Lendeborg capped the week by earning the Summer League MVP award.
Wilson’s blend of athleticism and shooting made him the most exciting player at the Thomas & Mack Center, delivering highlight-reel dunks and chase-down blocks while simultaneously stretching the floor. The 41.9 percent three-point clip, albeit in a small sample, suggests he can provide the spacing the Bulls have chased, and his rim-protection offers a defensive upside rarely seen in a wing taken that high.
The Bulls’ selection of Wilson aligns with a broader strategy of adding versatile wing pieces that can both stretch defenses and protect the paint. By choosing him at No. 4, Chicago signaled a priority on a player who can contribute immediately on both ends, a theme echoed by the other First Team honorees who each excelled in specific roles, Boozer’s interior presence, Lendeborg’s scoring, and Thomas’s hustle. Wilson’s early accolade adds momentum to a roster that will soon enter a packed preseason schedule.
Wilson will report to the Bulls’ training camp in September, where his decision-making and defensive rotations will be closely monitored as the team determines his role heading into the regular season.
