The Chicago Bulls selected Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Wilson looked like a star in the 2026 NBA Summer League, earning First Team honors after averaging 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals in five games. He scored 35 points in his first game, which was the second-most for a player making his Summer League debut.
The UNC product has already been compared to players like Tracy McGrady, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Garnett. The Bulls might finally have their first real star since Derrick Rose.
Chicago Bulls Legend on Caleb Wilson’s Potential
GettyCaleb Wilson #8 of the Chicago Bulls brings the ball up the court against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half of a 2026 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 10, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Former players like Kevin Garnett, Tim Legler and Derrick Rose, as well as Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, have already praised Caleb Wilson this summer.
Chicago Bulls legend and four-time NBA champion Horace Grant adds his name to the list after some strong words about Wilson in an interview with Kyle Odegard of Action Network.
“Oh my goodness, man, what a beast, what a freakin’ beast,” Grant said. “He has all the intangibles, the skillset. But what I love about him is that he has the mindset of a killer, a dog. He goes out and gets it.”
Grant added that Wilson looks like the Bulls’ best draft pick since Rose, though he’s not putting him on the same level as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and himself just yet.
But he did like what he saw from Wilson in the Summer League. He’s also pretty excited to see the Bulls next season, with Wilson, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis the main guys.
The Bulls also acquired Nic Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets and signed Norman Powell in free agency. They might not be contenders just yet, but the Bulls could be one of the most exciting teams to watch next season.
Caleb Wilson on Getting Compared to Kevin Garnett
After the comparisons between Kevin Garnett and Caleb Wilson, the Hall of Fame forward called the Chicago Bulls rookie the “Little Ticket.” It was an homage to Garnett’s original nickname, “The Big Ticket.”
Speaking to reporters after the end of the 2026 NBA Summer League, Wilson had a blunt reaction to getting a nickname from Garnett and getting compared to a player like him.
“I don’t really care that much about it,” Wilson said, via Elias Schuster of Sports Illustrated. “I feel like we have some similarities, but I feel like we’re much different players. Kevin Garnett is a Hall of Famer, and I don’t really want to be compared to a Hall of Famer because that messes up my expectations around the world. But I don’t really have expectations of being Kevin Garnett. I just have expectations of being Caleb Wilson.”
It was a pretty mature answer from Wilson in a way that it didn’t dismiss Garnett’s comments, but he wants to carve his own path in the NBA.
Chicago Bulls Legend Makes Strong Caleb Wilson Statement