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Bulls set a patient development standard for rookie Caleb Wilson at media day
Bryson Graham and Tiago Splitter described growth, uneven progress and daily work as camp opens.
7 sources / Updated September 28, 2026
The Bulls used Monday’s media day to put a measured frame around Caleb Wilson’s first NBA season. Basketball operations chief Bryson Graham said Chicago expects growth and setbacks from the No. 4 draft pick, while new coach Tiago Splitter said the organization will work with Wilson rather than assign him a fixed ceiling before camp begins. Their comments offer a more concrete standard than the hype surrounding the rookie: development across the season, with room for uneven nights.
Graham told reporters that the Bulls have to give Wilson “grace” as he learns. He described a season of growth with both progress and regression. Splitter said Wilson has shown the staff why Chicago selected him fourth overall, citing what he saw in Summer League and private practices. That is a positive first impression from the new coach, not a promise about Wilson’s opening-night role or playing time.
Monday was the team’s media day at the United Center, and Tuesday begins the first camp practices. It is the first camp under Graham and Splitter. Chicago’s youth group includes Wilson, Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey, while the roster also has established players such as Norman Powell and Nic Claxton. How Splitter combines those pieces, especially on defense and at forward, is an immediate camp question. No starting five was announced in the media-day remarks cited here.
Wilson’s strong July Summer League showing explains why the early attention is intense, but the transition from those games to a full NBA season remains untested. The league named him to its All-Summer League First Team, according to on-site reporting from Monday’s session. Splitter’s comments focus on the work ahead rather than using the summer numbers as a forecast.
The recently completed Buddy Hield trade adds another veteran shooter to the camp roster, but it is a separate transaction already covered by this newsroom. Wilson’s development comments are the new story from Monday. The Bulls begin preseason play Oct. 7 against Phoenix, giving the staff its first public test of how the rookie fits alongside the returning core and new additions. Until then, Graham and Splitter have set expectations without declaring a finished role.