The Chicago Bulls lost a nail-biting matchup, 96-97, against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Vegas Summer League tonight. This was an epic clash between the top draft picks, Caleb Wilson and Cameron Boozer, giving a glimpse of what to expect from these prospects in the regular season.
Wilson set the ‘unofficial’ record for most points scored in a debut game at the Vegas Summer League. Donte Green (40 points) and Marco Belinelli (37 points) are among the overall record-holders.
He ended with 35 points, five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals while going 12-21 from the field (57.1 FG%) and 7-11 from beyond the three-point line (63.6 3P%).
Meanwhile, Cameron Boozer had 23 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block while going 7-12 from the floor (58.3 FG%). Since Boozer and the Grizzlies got the last laugh, Wilson was not particularly delighted with his performance.
Following the game, Wilson spoke to the media and made his feelings known on his performance tonight and how he prepared himself coming into tonight in his debut in the Bulls jersey, even if at just the Summer League level.
“We lost. It’s my goal to come here and win. Of course, it’s cool, but somebody is going to break it one day like they always do. I’m happy that I got the record, but I’m ready to move on to what’s next. We’ve got another game coming up soon,” said a disappointed Wilson initially.
“It wasn’t in the flow of our offense, probably the game was a lot different than in the NBA. My coaches didn’t tell me not to shoot threes; I was just really good at what I did in college, which was using my athleticism to create opportunities for others.”
“So I just did what needed to be done for us to be a successful team, that’s all,” he further added when asked about why he didn’t shoot as many three-point shots in college (averaged 1.1 attempts per game in his college career).
“Honestly, I cried before I played today. It’s been five months to the day since the last time I played. I’ve just been emotional because I haven’t been able to play.”
“I felt terrible because my team lost in the tournament, and my coach got fired. It was just a lot for me. So coming out today, it just felt like I’ve been waiting so long for this opportunity, so I was really glad I got to come out and play,” Wilson concluded.
The University of North Carolina fired their head coach, Hubert Davis, after their March Madness exit this year. Wilson seems to feel that he owes it to him to be successful.
And if his debut is any indication of what to expect from Caleb Wilson, then we may be seeing a whole new modified version of him in the NBA. It remains to be seen what this confidence converts into during the regular season, but we are certainly very excited about this potential future star.
