Caleb Wilson expects to be Rookie of the Year as he sets his sights on a 'legendary' Bulls career

CHICAGO — Caleb Wilson took less than three days before he threw down the gauntlet.

He needed just enough time to finish celebrating his selection by the Bulls with the No. 4 pick in Tuesday night’s NBA draft in New York, to pack up his family for a flight to Chicago and to tour his new digs on Madison Street.

By the time Wilson sat down in front of the media Friday morning at the Advocate Center for his introductory news conference with fellow first-rounder Dailyn Swain, the forward from North Carolina was ready to announce his expectations for his first NBA season.

“I expect to have Rookie of the Year, honestly,” Wilson said. “I’m going to work hard. I’m going to do what it takes. I feel like the team is really good for me and how I envision to play. I know I’m a hard worker, so whatever I need to fix and work on throughout the season and before the season, I’m going to work on it so I can be a great player.”

Wilson spent most of the predraft whirlwind on the outside looking in. The mass consensus — by the media, by experts and ultimately by the draft order itself — was that the 2026 draft class featured a clear top trio. Wilson was the next man up.

He tried not to take it personally. But as a rookie, Wilson doesn’t plan to abide by that hierarchy.

Experience helps buoy Wilson’s confidence in his standing with the top three picks. He scored 24 points in North Carolina’s 13-point victory over Darryn Peterson’s Kansas team in November. And he scored 23 in a three-point win over Cameron Boozer and Duke in February. (Wilson was sidelined for the rematch in March, a five-point loss for the Tar Heels.)

Wilson’s sole loss against the top three came at the hands of AJ Dybantsa and BYU by a 78-76 score — and Wilson scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

This friendly rivalry will fuel Wilson throughout his rookie season. It also will fuel the league around him as the NBA sets a clear priority to showcase its newest talent.

Wilson and the Bulls will face each of the top three picks in their first three summer league games in Las Vegas: July 10 versus No. 3 pick Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies (7 p.m., Prime Video), July 13 against No. 2 pick Peterson and the Utah Jazz (8 p.m., ESPN) and July 14 versus No. 1 pick Dybantsa and the Washington Wizards (7 p.m., Prime). The Bulls’ fourth summer league game will be July 16 against the Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m., Prime).

“I played all of them now,” Wilson said. “You know what happened when I played them, so it don’t really matter. I don’t really care about the media. I’m a competitor. I’m going to play them in summer league too. So whatever needs to be done to prove that I’m on the same level or that I’m better, we’ll do it.”

Three days into his tenure as a Bull, Wilson’s bold proclamations already have become the norm around the Advocate Center. There’s a magnitude to the rookie’s vision — for himself, for the future, for the Bulls as a franchise.

Wilson is young, quick to smile and relaxed in front of media. But he’s not soft-spoken. And he doesn’t balk at setting the bar an inch or a mile above his reach.

“I have a lot of fun with it, but I want to be legendary,” Wilson said. “I want to be remembered after I finish playing. That’s what pushes me every day to be a great player.”

When Wilson talks about greatness, he means the upper echelon of NBA history. In Chicago, playing under the six banners won during a dynasty that ended eight years before he was born, that means something different.

Is it a risk to reach for GOAT status while playing in Michael Jordan’s shadow? Wilson believes that’s a myopic way to view his idealism.

“I don’t worry about that at all,” he said. “Striving for something is something that we all do. You’re striving to be the greatest ever — it is a bold thing to say, but that’s what I’m striving for. I’m not striving to be an average or mediocre player. If I was to tell you or anyone that, that wouldn’t be good either.

“I’m striving to be the best player that has ever played the game, and I’ve been doing that for a long time. So I’m just going to keep doing that. If I reach that goal, I do. If I don’t, then at least I know I tried.”

For Wilson, establishing himself as a cornerstone of a team on the way up is a welcome luxury. Even as a rookie who doesn’t turn 20 until next month, he sees himself as a leader and galvanizer who can shape the culture of the Bulls locker room.

But rebuilding also means losing. A lot. Wilson must stomach this reality in order to survive the next year — or two or three — as the Bulls undergo the grueling process of reshaping the roster under a new front office and new coach.

Wilson described a symbiotic relationship between his individual growth and that of his new team. The Bulls will get better if he gets better. He will get better if the Bulls get better. Neither can succeed without the other. He wouldn’t want it any other way.

“I feel like the NBA is better when Chicago is good,” Wilson said. “I’m just trying to be as good as I can be. I’m going to develop and I’m going to keep getting better, and whatever happens will happen.

“But of course I want to be a great team, so I’m trying to get that to happen as quick as I can.”