Bryson Graham was knee deep in the “circus” on Monday.
After all, that’s what most NBA media days are. Take pictures here, cut a scream clip for the hometown scoreboard there, pose with this teammate over back there, dribble the ball for this camera there.
A complete “circus.”
But through the monotony of the afternoon process, something across the atrium suddenly caught the eye of the Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations.
“He was standing next to (coach) Tiago (Splitter),” Graham said of star rookie Caleb Wilson. “They were taking pictures.”
Graham then turned to Splitter at the media table.
“He was looking at you eye to eye, bro,” Graham said to his coach. “What are you 6-11?”
“6-10 ½,” Splitter responded.
“I mean 6-10 ½ and he’s multi-positional, versatile, I mean he tries to make the right play,” Graham said of Wilson. “I mean not one day during these pick-up games, this is what has been so exciting, has he come out and said, ‘I’m going to shoot every time.’ He’s still trying to make the right play. That’s just who he is. Nothing has slapped him down. It’s going to be hard to do that because he’s a competitive kid and he has very big aspirations.”
In other words, believe the Wilson hype.
What started with a 35-point booming arrival to the NBA back in his July Summer League debut, the No. 4 pick has been tested with workouts and open scrimmages with actual NBA players since, and was yet to blink.
If anything, he continues to show the Bulls that something special has in fact arrived.
“Just like everybody in this room, we’re excited about Caleb,” Splitter said. “He’s a No. 4 pick and every day he’s showing us why he’s the No. 4 pick. Also, it’s really hard to put him on a floor and or with a ceiling, to be honest. We’re going to help him be the best player he can be. What that is? We don’t know.”
But the feeling is a foundation changer. Eventually
Yes, there remains a ton of excitement around Wilson, especially with what he’s been showing in team scrimmages, but there is a reality that has to be exercised.
“The expectations are probably pretty high because Caleb is pretty outspoken, but internally we know it’s a season of growth and development, and we have to be OK with giving him grace this year because he’s going to have some ups and downs,” Graham said. “There’s going to be progress and there’s going to be some regression.”
A reality that even the ever-confident Wilson knows awaits him.
What Wilson has on his side, however, is a ridiculous work ethic that even has the coaching staff reminding him to go home at night rather than stay too late in the practice facility.
Wilson wears that badge as a drive to get better and to show his teammates how committed he is to the process of rebuilding the Bulls.
“I feel like as a rookie, people respect action more than they respect words,” Wilson said. “I’ll let my actions lead and eventually I’ll blend in talking, but my whole goal is letting everyone know what the tone is by showing what I’m going to do. That’s how I’ve always led.”
“I won’t say where I fit in right now. I feel like as a player I’m going to be very important to our future and what we’re doing now, so I just go out there and let it happen.”
