Caleb Wilson has been making the rounds during the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this week, and it’s no surprise that there has been a lot of talk about his potential fit with the Bulls. Could he end up joining the historic franchise?
The Bulls hold the No. 4 pick and the majority of the mock drafts have the 6-foot-10 forward landing in the second city for a long time. They can point to new Bulls head of basketball operations, Bryson Graham, his SLAP acronym (Speed, Length, Athleticism, and Physicality) and how Wilson’s skill set fits that description.
Caleb Wilson on Bulls’ new direction:
“I know about the SLAP.”
Are you a SL
AP guy?
“He knows SLAP. He’s well aware. He talked to the Bulls and Bryson Graham and you can tell the local Chicago media was surprised when he threw that out there. But he seemed very receptive to it,” Bulls on SI publisher Elisa Schuster said during an interview on 104.3 The Score.
Schuster also added that for people like himself that had the chance to watch Wilson up close, his athleticism stands out in a crowd of highly athletic athletes. “Obviously, we don’t get to see him in any of the scrimmages, he is too good to be competing in those scrimmages later in the week,” Schuster said. “But he’s running all those combine drills, and it definitely takes a special athlete for you to really stand out in those combine drills. But when he steps up to do the max vertical, and he’s as big as he is and flying as high as he is, that stands out.”
The Chicago Bulls are a popular landing spot for Caleb Wilson
CBS Sports NBA Draft analyst Isaac Trotter believes that Wilson fits the Bulls “like a glove”, but wonders if the mocks will stay consistent, and he is available when the fourth pick comes around:
“But will he get to No. 4 overall? It’s still the most likely outcome, but there’s no question that Wilson can surge even more with a strong week. He fits the profile of what each NBA team is looking for as a two-way wing with elite athletic tools and an insatiable desire to win. Can he vault past Peterson or Duke’s Cameron Boozer? It’s certainly not out of the question.”
The NBA Draft is full of deals and trades. If BYU forward AJ Dybansta and Kansas point guard Darryn Peterson are the two top picks as expected, then the Memphis Grizzlies will have a decision to make at No. 3. If they like Wilson, they will simply draft him, if Memphis likes another player like Duke’s Cam Boozer or Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., there could be a trade in the works. Could the Bulls work out a deal with Memphis to move up a spot and take Wilson? Sure. It’s happened many times before.
Wilson, despite still being a teenager, appears very comfortable with the media and that’s not a big surprise to anyone that’s followed him since he got to UNC. He’s got a ton of positive energy and charisma that is infectious and something that will play well in the big media markets like Chicago.
