CHICAGO (104.3 The Score) – A new era of Bulls basketball has what it hopes is the face of the franchise for years to come.
The top of the NBA Draft played out as expected Tuesday evening for the Bulls, who selected North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at No. 4 overall. Wilson is the first draft pick of the new regime that’s led by executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, who was hired by Chicago in early May.
Wilson wasn't shy about his goals in his initial conference call with reporters following his selection
"I'm always going to do whatever it takes to get better," Wilson said. "I want to be the greatest player of all time. Yall got one of the GOATs in yall's history right now. So it's time for another one. I'm hungry. I'm hungry to be the greatest."
Wilson was selected after BYU forward AJ Dybantsa went No. 1 overall to the Wizards, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson went No. 2 to the Jazz and Duke big man Cameron Boozer went No. 3 to the Grizzlies.
The 6-foot-10, 211-pound Wilson fits Graham’s desire to add size and athleticism. He has a strong feel for the game and is an incredibly explosive athlete who led college basketball in dunks before he was injured early this past February. Defensively, he was a high-impact player at North Carolina with the ability to switch and defend smaller guards, which should give the Bulls versatility as they build their team.
Wilson, who will turn 20 in July, averaged 19.8 points. 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals 31.3 minutes across 24 games for North Carolina last season while shooting 57.8% overall from the field. Wilson earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press.
Wilson suffered a hand fracture in February and then suffered a broken thumb in practice in early March as he neared a return to action, so the last game he played for North Carolina was on Feb. 10.
Wilson will need to add weight and muscle to his 211-pound frame to deal with the physical nature of the NBA as he projects to be the Bulls’ long-term answer at power forward. Wilson isn’t an outside threat, as he shot just 7-of-27 on 3-pointers at North Carolina. The development of an outside shot could prove to elevate him to another level in the NBA.
Wilson wasn't the Bulls' only addition Tuesday evening. At No. 15 overall, Chicago selected Texas wing Dailyn Swain, a 6-foot-7 slasher who's good at getting to the rim and is a really strong rebounder for his position. Swain averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals for Texas last season, when he shot 54.2% overall and 34.4% on 3-pointers.
Swain played his first two collegiate seasons at Xavier. He was a 29.3% 3-point shooter for his college career.
Cody Westerlund is an editor and reporter for 104.3 The Score.
