Bulls Summer League Notes: Caleb Wilson's Final Game, Dailyn Swain Scaries? More

With no Josh Giddey there to save them with a halfcourt heave, the Chicago Bulls were run off the floor on Thursday night by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cameron Carr – who many mocked to the Bulls for weeks leading up to the draft – got his revenge on the franchise for aiding in his drop to No. 24. While he only scored 14 points with 3 rebounds and a steal, he was a +27 on the night in the team's 105-82 victory.

The good news is that the final score doesn't matter a lick in Summer League. This is all about player development and dipping a toe in the NBA waters. Still, it would have been nice to see Caleb Wilson and Company even their Las Vegas record and set up a chance to finish above .500. This is especially true when we consider that the No. 4 overall pick has officially wrapped up his first-ever Summer League action.

Caleb Wilson's Last Go

Following the Chicago Bulls' blowout loss, Caleb Wilson shared that the plan is for him to sit out the organization's final game on Friday. If he played, it would make his second back-to-back set of the week.

The rookie deserves a ton of credit for even appearing in as many games as he did. It's incredibly rare to see someone with his pedigree – and early production – stay on the Thomas & Mack Center floor for four games. Heck, both AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson shut things down in Las Vegas after only two appearances (Peterson played one game prior in Salt Lake City). Wilson even called out his fellow young stars, stressing that he wanted to use as much of this time as the franchise would allow to get right ahead of October.

So, how did Wilson leave things? While it's safe to assume he isn't pleased with the final score, Wilson still put on a show. He led all scorers with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block. We watched him soar for several dunks, as well as pull off another highlight-reel worthy chasedown block. Even with the explosive Carr on the floor, Wilson's athleticism continued to make him stand out among the rest.

Learned a lot and ready for the season! ….. SEE RED👀🔴 https://t.co/OJ3FwCieBR
— Caleb Wilson (@CalebWilson2025) July 17, 2026

Wilson's best sequence came in the second quarter. He had an awesome poster dunk in transition before drilling a pull-up three on the next possession. It was a star-level moment that had even Kevin Garnett smiling courtside.

Now, it feels worth noting that Wilson did finish the night with eight turnovers. There is no question that he needs to work on his handles, and he even mentioned as much after Game 3. At the same time, this feels like something the Bulls can live with. He had the ball in his hands and was asked to create far more than normal. You'd rather have him be overly ambitious and play through mistakes than the alternative.

We will likely do a more thorough breakdown of Wilson's Summer League run, but it's hard to have many complaints. He was as good as anyone in Las Vegas, and it sure feels like the Bulls may have a potential star on their hands.

Dailyn Swain ... Yikes

The good news is that Dailyn Swain's streak of 17 consecutive missed field goals ended in the first quarter with a dunk. He kept a Lakers defender on his backside before driving down the middle of the lane and leaping for the two-handed slam.

The bad news is that this was his only made field goal of the night. Swain went 1-5 in 21 minutes of action with only 2 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Through four games, Swain has averaged just 4.3 points on 12.9 percent shooting from the field. It's genuinely hard to believe that percentage is real.

Dailyn Swain weaves his way to the basket for the two-hand JAM 💥

Watch the No. 15 pick in LAL/CHI NBA Summer League action LIVE on Prime! pic.twitter.com/atJiYOUaYt
— NBA (@NBA) July 16, 2026

There is no denying this is a pretty rough look, especially when considering where the Bulls drafted the swingman. But it's also only Summer League. There is no real reason to throw in the towel on Swain right now. The Bulls put him in a weird position the first few games by asking him to serve as a primary ball-handler. He was never quite able to regain his rhythm after that, even though they did move him out of that role by Game 3.

With that said, Swain's upside seemingly relied heavily on his ISO game, which was among the most efficient in college basketball last season. The fact that he struggled as much as he did to find the bottom of the net against Summer League competition is a tad concerning. Swain did at least demonstrate an ability to get to the rim pretty consistently, but the finishing has to improve drastically.

The Bulls have yet to announce if Swain is also done. While this feels likely, it might not be a bad idea to give him some extra run without Wilson on the floor. Regardless, this will go down as a pretty disappointing first run for Swain. Bryson Graham better hope it's not a sign of what's to come.

Noa Essengue Did Better, Right? RIGHT!?

Don't worry Dailyn Swain, it could be worse! You could be Noa Essengue!

Unfortunately for the Bulls, the previous regime's 2025 No. 12 overall pick continued to look like a problem on Thursday night (and not in a good way). He finished with a mere 2 points in less than 11 minutes of action. That's right, one of the few fully guaranteed players on this Bulls roster was only able to muster a little over 10 minutes in a Summer League game.

Oct 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard/forward Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) defends Chicago Bulls forward Noa Essengue (24) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He came off the bench, yet again, and also grabbed just 1 rebound at six-foot-eleven. The cherry on top? He fouled a total of seven times. Essengue deserves some grace. He missed basically the entirety of his rookie campaign due to shoulder surgery, which is a very strenuous recovery process. This is his first time playing real and physical minutes in quite some time. It's going to take a while to regain confidence.

Still, nothing about what we saw suggests that Essengue is ready to be a rotation player next season. And that's a tough pill to swallow, considering how high he was drafted. There have been some things to like about Essengue's play defensively, which could be his recipe to carving out an early-season role. But the lack of coordination on either side of the ball is a true concern.

Guard Play Has Been a Big Problem

The last thing I want to mention for now is that Bryson Graham made a mistake with this roster. Yes, I know it's only Summer League. And, mhm, I know what they got from Caleb Wilson is undeniably a win. But I was always concerned about the guard depth on this roster.

They loaded up on shooters in the backcourt, as opposed to players who could truly run the offense or distribute. Was part of the reason for this to allow Wilson and Swain to have the ball in their hands more often? Probably ... but then what happened when neither could hold onto the basketball? Things were a mess. It would have been nice to see what guys like Swain and even Essengue could have done with a more traditional facilitator on the roster.

Speaking of which, most of these guards didn't even help in the shooting department! The Bulls went 3-33 from deep in this game against the Lakers. Basically, if Donovan Atwell or Caleb Wilson weren't making it rain, Chicago was out of luck from downtown.

It can be foolish to connect Summer League to the regular season, but I do fear three-point shooting will be a problem for the Bulls in the Fall. Other than Norman Powell, the Bulls are absent any other proven or dependable long-range threat. Heck, Jalen Smith might be the next best shooter on the 15-man roster! This could eventually prove to be a big issue as the Bulls look to effectively space the floor for their young wings.

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