CHICAGO (104.3) – As they hold the No. 4 overall pick in the NBA Draft after a dose of lottery luck, the Bulls have continued doing their due diligence.
Bulls officials have met with BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke big man Cam Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at the NBA Combine this week. Those are considered the consensus top four prospects in this draft class. There remains intrigue surrounding what order they’ll go in, but as we’re about six weeks out from the start of the NBA Draft on June 23, many across the NBA believe – at least for now – that Wilson will be premier prospect available for the Bulls at No. 4.
If that’s the case, the 19-year-old Wilson would be a happy man.
“I feel like Chicago is a great city, and it’d be a great place to play,” Wilson said Wednesday. “A nice market and I know some of the players on their team. So it would definitely be a really cool opportunity. I know a lot about Chicago. I know (Michael Jordan) went here from North Carolina. I’ve watched ‘The Last Dance,’ so you know I’ve got a little bit of history on Chicago. It’s a great place, for sure.”
In a sign of how Chicago has his attention, Wilson brought up new Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham’s favorite acronym without it even being referenced by reporters.
“I feel like they’re going in a great direction,” Wilson said. “I know about the SLAP – size, length, athleticism, physicality. I think it’d be a great spot.”
Wilson, who was listed at 6-foot-10 at North Carolina and measured 6-foot-9 1/4 without shoes and just shy of 211 pounds at the NBA Combine – is known for his relentless motor and aggressiveness on the floor. He led college basketball in dunks this past season before he suffered hand and thumb injuries that sidelined him after Feb. 10.
“You can’t play soft,” Wilson said. “I like to have fun with it. I feel like dunking really gets the crowds into it. Being athletic is just a lot of fun, so you’ve got to use it.
“Just play as hard as I can, have fun with it. You have to be able to affect the game in multiple ways and know your role.”
Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks in 31.3 minutes across 24 games for North Carolina last season. One of the knocks on his game is that he hasn’t proved to be much of an outside shooter, as he shot 7-of-27 on 3-pointers (25.9%) in those 24 games last season.
“I wasn’t asked to take threes in college,” Wilson said. “I did what it took to win. I feel like I’m a great shooter, and I’ll be able to show that when I get to the league. I just did what was required of me and was asked to be an elite college basketball player, which was what my job was.”
If it isn’t Wilson who’s available for the Bulls at No. 4, it would likely be Boozer, the reigning AP Player of the Year who averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds while showcasing a deft passing touch as well.
“I’m not really worried about what people talk about in terms of who the No. 1 pick or who it’s supposed to be,” Boozer said. “Especially because those people are social media people, and those opinions don’t really matter. Whether I go one, two, three or four or whatever it might be, it’s more about the fit and situation for me.
“At the end of the day, if a team’s goal is to win a championship, I feel like I’m the guy. I feel like my resume speaks for itself.”
The Bulls also hold the 15th overall pick in the first round. Who will be a fit and available there is less clear, but Graham stressed at the NBA Draft lottery this past Sunday that he’ll take the best player available without consideration for position.
There are a number of promising guards who are projected to go in that range or just after, including Labaron Philon Jr. (Alabama), Christian Anderson (Texas Tech) and Bennett Stirtz (Iowa). Michigan forward Morez Johnson, Baylor wing Cameron Carr and Houston center Chris Cenac Jr. are other names to keep in mind in that range who have drawn praise at the NBA Combine.
Cody Westerlund is an editor and covers the Bulls for 104.3 The Score.
