What we learned from Bulls' preseason, including why rookie Caleb Wilson is ready for the spotlight
· Yahoo Sports
CHICAGO — The training wheels are about to come off.
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The Chicago Bulls won three of their five preseason games, including a 133-116 victory over a stripped-down Minnesota Timberwolves side Friday night at the United Center. Results don’t matter in the preseason — but lessons still can be learned. The last two weeks gave a glimpse of how this year’s new-look Bulls will operate ahead of their Wednesday season opener against the Raptors in Toronto.
New coach Tiago Splitter planned to use the final two games of the preseason to test his full rotations, but both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Minnesota Timberwolves sat their starters for those games, which complicated the plan. But the preseason still allowed Splitter to test a variety of rotations in a deep Bulls roster that is designed to learn on the fly.
Here are five takeaways from the preseason.
Caleb Wilson is ready for this
This was the most important revelation of the preseason. Wilson is not going to duck away from challenge. At times he was the greatest highlight on the court, sinking confident shots from behind the arc and slamming home dunks over the opposition. At other times, he floundered on screens away from the basket and made poor decisions with the ball in his hands.
But throughout the preseason, Wilson answered plenty of questions about the intangibles of his rookie-year preparation. Wilson can handle his matchups physically despite the strength he needs to build into his 20-year-old body. He already understands how to utilize his advantages in matchups, such as trying to shoot over shorter defenders. And he clearly can articulate the weaknesses and areas of improvement that are holding him back on the court.
The young player has a very regimented road map for the next six months. But Wilson already has fully bought into the tenacity and intention necessary to get the most out of his first NBA season. When the growing pains come — and they will — he appears ready to learn through the discomfort.
“It’s never felt like it’s too much,” Wilson said. “The best players to ever play had a rough start to their career, and my start isn’t even rough. I feel like I’m doing great out there. I just go out there and learn. I’m a rookie. I’m going against competition I haven’t faced before and I’m being asked to do stuff that I haven’t been asked for before. I expect there to be mistakes and I should give myself grace to play.”
Starting rotations are set — for now
The starting group for a healthy Bulls team — Josh Giddey, Wilson, Matas Buzelis, Norman Powell and Nic Claxton — was always fairly obvious. But the preseason gave a better look at the depth chart and how the coaching staff prepares to pivot around injuries.
Tobe Awaka and Jalen Smith both rotated into the starting 5 position in place of the injured Claxton, which appears to be the preferred model for the Bulls to accommodate the center’s absence. Claxton likely will miss the season opener, which means the Bulls will stick with this look for as long as needed. Tre Jones runs the backup point guard role with Zach Collins, Buddy Hield and Isaac Okoro shoring up the second unit.
Splitter made it clear he’s comfortable going as deep as 11 players into his rotation. Leonard Miller has clearly earned a next-man-up spot in the lineup, which means players such as Patrick Williams and Noa Essengue will be fighting over any spare backup minutes at the 4.
Leonard Miller rises up the ranks
The rise of Miller was perhaps the only enjoyable aspect of the post-trade deadline period of last season. And the forward made it clear he doesn’t plan to slow down in 2026-27, shooting 31 for 50 (62%) from the floor during the preseason.
The 4 position is all filled up for the Bulls. And yet Miller consistently outperforms the players who should sit above him on the depth chart. He is clearly beating out fellow bench players such as Williams and Essengue. And at age 22, there’s no reason why the Bulls shouldn’t pour into Miller even if they don’t extend his contract before the deadline.
Miller is an unorthodox player. He passes well, outplays his frame and shoots at a strong clip despite some slightly wonky form. Splitter praises his movement on and off the ball, which seems to visibly confuse opposing defenses. If he continues to find success, the Bulls might have landed a crucial diamond-in-the-rough to add to their growing stable of young players to staff a full rebuild.
Jalen Smith will be key
The Bulls won’t start the season healthy in the frontcourt, and the absences of players such as Claxton and Collins will make Smith’s presence even more important. But Smith could end up being a crucial swing player for the Bulls as Splitter figures out how to make his rotations work on a lengthy roster.
Although he is an incredibly tough competitor when available, Collins has struggled to keep himself on the court, playing only 10 games last season and 64 games in 2024-25. If he — or any center — is sidelined for any stretch again, the Bulls will rely heavily on Smith as a stretch big man who can cover a lot of ground on both ends of the court.
Young players have a huge opportunity
Preseason playing time always skews upward for younger players as veterans such as Powell and Jones rest to anticipate the lengthy season ahead. But this preseason reflected an intentional effort by Splitter to place reasonable responsibility into the hands of the youngest players on the roster.
This will be crucial for Dailyn Swain and Essengue, who both represent major projects — with potentially major rewards. Swain settled in this preseason, showing an improved progression in his decision making when he was not overwhelmed by on-ball duties. Essengue is quietly building out a better defensive resume, although those improvements have been diluted by his lack of presence as a rim attacker.
Both players will have to operate on the margins to earn minutes, with the G League operating as a more consistent source of playing time. How they manage those brief snippets of NBA action will determine their growth.