Heel Tough Blog: Caleb Wilson Shines in Historic Summer League Debut

@UNC_Basketball

If you know anything about Caleb Wilson, you know how competitive he is and how motivated he is to be one of the best basketball players of all-time. After a legendary freshman season was cut short at North Carolina due to injury, Wilson was drafted 4th overall by the Chicago Bulls, becoming the third former Tar Heel to be drafted in the first round by the historic franchise. He was drafted by AJ Dybanta, Darryn Peterson, and Duke’s Cam Boozer, all three of whom also enjoyed special freshman seasons at their respective schools. Even though Wilson never garnered real attention for being the top pick in the draft, many basketball pundits believed he was capable of being just as good as the three players drafted ahead of him over the course of their NBA careers. If last night was any indication, they may just be right.

The NBA Summer League started earlier this week in Las Vegas, and last night the Bulls took the court for the first time, slated to play Cam Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies. Considering how personal Wilson took the only matchup he participated in college against Boozer, you knew last night meant more than just a Summer League game. Wilson was going to set out to make a statement, and make a statement he did. In his basket was a three-pointer, from straight away, addressing concerns around his perimeter shot right off the bat. He’d go on to score an NBA Summer League record 35 points, the most ever by a player in their SL debut, while shooting 12-21 from the field, 7-11 from behind the arc, he grabbed 5 rebounds, totaled 3 blocks, including a chase-down block in transition, and had two steals. As for his rookie counterpart, Boozer scored 23 points, and hag 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Do with that what you will. 

In typical Wilson fashion, though, he didn’t get up in the moment of his historic debut, which unfortunately came in a loss, but he also admitted to some real emotion after the game. When meeting with the media, Wilson said the following: “It's been 5 months to the day since the last time I played. I felt terrible because my team lost in the tournament, and my coach got fired. It just was a lot for me." I bet Hubert Davis got emotional when he saw that (I know I did). 

The Bulls' next Summer League game is Monday night, against Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz. The tip is set for 9 PM on ESPN. 

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