Vegas baby as Bulls' Caleb Wilson wants to impress in Summer League

This isn’t your father’s Summer League.

It might not even be your older brother’s.

Ten years ago, the Summer League courtside seats were a few veteran teammates coming to watch the young guys, some family members, and boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather with his entourage.

Now, it’s a standing-room only event that feels like New York’s famous Rucker Park in the 1970s. A who’s who of NBA royalty watching, while the best young talent in the game tries to put on a highlight show.

And if this draft class continues living up to the hype of how talented and deep it was, well, Las Vegas is about to get yet another must-see two-week residency.

There’s already been signs of that in the Summer League California Classic last week.

Utah’s Darryn Peterson looks like he can be a real problem for opposing teams already, playing in two games on the West Coast and dropping 53 total points with 14 assists. No cramping, no load management, no concerns for the No. 2 overall pick.

No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer dropped 15 points with four rebounds and four assists in his debut in Salt Lake, giving Memphis that warm feeling they made the right selection last month.

And the good news that every Bulls fan should be smiling about? Their team’s No. 4 pick in Caleb Wilson wants to beat them all. He said as much in his introductory presser, insisting that he felt like he was the top player in the rookie class and wanted to make sure No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer all feel that starting in July.

Good news, Rook, you’ll get that chance.

The Bulls tip-off Summer League Friday night by taking on Boozer’s Grizzlies team, followed by a Monday tilt with Peterson and Utah, and then a night later against Washington and Dybantsa. Yes, it’s only Summer League but if a player with Wilson’s confidence and swagger wants to make an early statement then Vegas is the place.

His head coach Tiago Splitter is actually coaching several of the Summer League games just to set a tone, which is not the norm, and Wilson will have fellow first-rounder Dailyn Swain (No. 15 overall) and 2025 first rounder Noa Essengue (No. 12 overall) at his side.

Wilson is on the main stage, but don’t discount the attention the organization will focus on Essengue.

Drafted as a project, it quickly turned into a red-shirt year thanks to an ongoing shoulder issue that required season-ending surgery.

Maybe a blessing in disguise as the youngster was able to work on strengthening his body and even added a few inches.

“Very long and expectations are higher because (he’s a) 6-foot-10, 6-foot-11 player, can put the ball on the floor, shoot a little bit, can do a lot of things,” Splitter said of Essengue. “I want to see him in the games and how he approaches every possession, how he fights every possession. I’m going to put a lot of pressure on Caleb (Wilson), Dailyn (Swain), on Noa. Those are the guys that really push this team in the Summer League and (it will) be contagious with teammates, the effort, how we are going to play, share the ball.

“We are going to rebound. We’re going to defend. Caleb, Dailyn and Noa, they have to set the tone. I think he (Essengue) can be three, four, five easily.”

Baby steps. Just let Essengue be healthy and show some flashes. They don’t need him to be a star.

There'll be plenty of those on display the next few weeks. Just ask Wilson.