Caleb Wilson isn’t afraid to be bold.
The North Carolina forward wasn’t surprised when the Chicago Bulls selected him at No. 4 in Tuesday’s NBA draft. For weeks, he had been included as the final member in a highly touted top-four group with BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke forward Cameron Boozer.
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But although he was the last member of this talented foursome, Wilson wanted to set an early standard in his first minutes as a Bull. Setting those expectations started with a history lesson.
The Bulls had drafted only two players from North Carolina before Wilson. The most recent was Coby White in 2019. The other was Michael Jordan in 1984. That lineage is just another driving factor for Wilson, who is eager to live up to the expectations set by Jordan and the 1990s Bulls.
“I want to be the greatest player of all time,” Wilson said Tuesday after his selection. “Y’all got one of the GOATs in y’all’s history right now. It’s time for another one.”
Most of the NBA agreed on a general consensus of the top four prospects in this year’s draft, but selection order was the greatest debate entering Tuesday. The Washington Wizards selected Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick, followed by the Utah Jazz picking Peterson and the Memphis Grizzlies taking Boozer, clearing the way for the Bulls to select Wilson. Illinois guard Keaton Wagler went to the Los Angeles Clippers with the fifth pick.
Wilson knew the odds. While projections for the first three picks often wavered, he was tied almost exclusively to the Bulls after the draft combine. Still, Wilson didn’t want to buy into the hype until the moment he heard his name called.
“I tried my best to stay out of the media ’cause I didn’t want to get attached to the Bulls (if) it didn’t happen,” Wilson said. “I definitely knew it was a big possibility for me to come here, and I was excited if I had the opportunity to and I’m grateful that I have the chance.”
Despite the predictability of the first four picks, new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham said the Bulls tried to “shut out the noise” and undergo deep due diligence before determining that Wilson was their preferred pick at No. 4.
The Bulls also fielded and explored options for draft-night trades, which included trading the No. 4 pick and trading up from No. 15, where they ultimately selected Texas guard Dailyn Swain. But the potential for the new front office to take an aggressive swing on its first draft night never came to fruition.
“We were open on listening to things at No. 4, things at No. 15,” Graham said. “We definitely did not want to close the door on anything that could help push this organization forward. We took all things into account going into tonight and even on the clock.
“At the end of the day, we stayed where we were at because we liked the players we were looking at.”
Wilson, who turns 20 next month, always felt like the most obvious fit for the Bulls. A 6-foot-10 forward with notable athleticism and high creative upside, he averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds as a freshman for the Tar Heels while shooting 57.8% from the field and racking up highlights above the rim. As a lengthy athlete with strong defensive potential, the Atlanta native fits the mold preferred by Graham.
Wilson will need to improve his shooting (7 of 27 on 3-pointers last season) and grow into his frame to be switchable on defense against NBA players, but his profile and timeline match both the needs and vision of the Bulls front office. After several meetings during the combine and predraft process, Wilson feels he already has built a strong relationship with Graham and the organization.
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“Bryson is a great guy and he seems to believe in me,” Wilson said. “Honestly, all I need is someone to believe in me for me to want to go to war with them.”
Wilson was limited to 24 games last season by a pair of hand injuries. He fractured his left hand in February, an injury that sidelined him indefinitely. As he was working back toward being cleared to play, Wilson broke his right thumb while dunking in practice, which required surgery and sidelined him for the rest of the season and the NCAA Tournament.
Those absences somewhat limited the tape on Wilson, who was leading the Tar Heels in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks before the injuries. But he said he isn’t worried about either injury carrying over into this summer’s workouts or his rookie season.
“I feel great — better than ever,” Wilson said. “I’ve been working on my hand strength so I would never have to go through something like that again. Crazy times, but I feel great. I’m excited to play.”
Wilson will join a Bulls roster at the ground floor of a rebuild that could take years to fully develop. This type of process relies on strong leadership and locker-room culture, something Wilson said the Bulls emphasized when he met new teammates Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue during his in-person workout in Chicago.
Although Wilson knows there will be a culture shift in his move to Chicago — the Georgia native joked that he’ll need to invest in a few puffer jackets and pairs of long johns — he feels that his year at North Carolina prepared him well for the pressures of playing for the Bulls.
“I have a lot to learn, but I’m going to be a very effective player from Day 1,” Wilson said. “I’m just going to go hard, man. I’m going to make it happen. Whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do it — and more.”