Five games in, Caleb Wilson looks like the player the Bulls should build around, and Josh Giddey looks like the one built to serve him. Chicago does not have to settle it tonight in Boston, but the rotation is already settling it.
The rookie's numbers. Wilson, taken fourth in June, plays 34.7 minutes a night, the most on the roster, and averages 20.8 points and 7.0 rebounds. He put up 30 and 14 against Washington and 21 in the win at Milwaukee. The Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley wrote that Wilson and Buzelis are starting to showcase hero mode.
The case for Giddey. Giddey has the biggest contract on the books at $25.0 million, and he runs the offense with 8.0 assists a night. The year before Splitter arrived, he averaged 17.0 points and 9.1 assists. A 24-year-old who sees the floor like that is hard to replace, and Chicago pays him like a cornerstone.
The case against. He is scoring 7.6 points in 26.7 minutes and shooting 21.4 from deep. Defenses can sag off him and crowd the rookie. Wilson has his own shooting problem at 22.2 from three, so the two end up fighting for the same space. That is a fit problem. Nobody is questioning the effort.
What the ratings say. Chicago carries a defensive rating of 121.7 against an offensive rating of 105.8, a minus-15.9 gap that no lineup tweak closes. At this pace the Bulls finish 16-66. A team that bad does not have a Giddey problem or a Wilson problem. It has a roster that needs a direction.
Help on the way. Patrick Williams was cleared Friday after a right groin issue. Nic Claxton, sidelined by a hamstring injury, has an estimated return of Nov. 4. Tobe Awaka (ankle) and Jalen Smith (left finger) are day-to-day with tonight as their target. More bodies change the rotation, not who sits at the center of it.
The verdict. Build around Wilson. He is 20, he already takes the hardest minutes, and Chicago owns its 2027 first-rounder, so there is no reason to put early wins ahead of development. Giddey's job is to make the rookie better. If his shot does not come around, the $25.0 million question gets louder.
Who leads the Bulls in scoring?
Norman Powell leads at 21.6 points a game. Caleb Wilson is right behind him at 20.8.
When will Nic Claxton return for the Bulls?
His estimated return is Nov. 4, the date of the game at New York. He has been sidelined by a hamstring injury.
