The Chicago Bulls are counting on Caleb Wilson to lead them in a new direction. After two games, the high-profile rookie from North Carolina has experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. The Bulls suffered a 43-point loss to the Toronto Raptors in their season opener on Wednesday. Then, the Bulls fought back to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, 132-125.

In the first game, Wilson scored 16 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. However, he turned the ball over nine times. Then, Wilson scored 21 points and grabbed 6 rebounds against the Bucks.

On Friday, Chicago held its home opener against the Washington Wizards. Before the game, VP of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham said some kind words about Wilson's growth, per Bulls on CHSN.

“He's relentless…He wants to be great…It's not fake. It's genuine,” Graham said.

"He's relentless…He wants to be great…It's not fake. It's genuine."

Bulls Executive VP of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham on Caleb Wilson's growth from game one to game two 📈 pic.twitter.com/Dape2uuXK0

— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) October 24, 2026

It's been said so much, but it's worth repeating. Wilson is poised to be the franchise player, if all goes well. Meanwhile, Graham, hired in May after the firings of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, has unleashed a new top-down approach to rebuilding—an approach rooted in not settling in the short term, but building for the long haul.

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Part of that is Graham promoting his SLAP acronym: Size, Length, Athleticism, and Physicality—all of which Wilson possesses.

Wilson is coming off a strong preseason showing, averaging 15.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

After playing the Wizards on Saturday, the Bulls will take on the Boston Celtics on the road on Monday, October 26. Then, they will face the defending champion New York Knicks at home on Wednesday, October 28.