Bulls' Caleb Wilson still alive and well in Rookie of the Year running

Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images SHARE COPY LINK Share CLOSE Twitter Facebook Bluesky Email Reddit Flipboard There will be a time and place for Bulls forward Caleb Wilson to assess the competition for NBA Rookie of the Year. ‘‘Nah, I feel like that’s on them whatever they do,’’ Wilson, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft in June, said recently when he was asked whether he was keeping tabs on other members of the rookie class. ‘‘I get my chance to play everyone, and I’ll focus on that chance when I get it. ‘‘Honestly, I feel like I’m learning so much and going through so many things, I can’t worry about anyone else. I feel like I’ve got to focus on myself.’’ While the start to the Bulls’ regular season has featured a slew of playoff- to championship-level teams to navigate, Wilson soon will get to reunite with a few of the key figures in his draft class. That starts Friday, when guard Kingston Flemings and the Hawks come to town. Flemings (No. 8 overall) isn’t the reason the Hawks are in the top half of the Eastern Conference so far, but he has started their last three games. Veteran CJ McCollum volunteered to move to the bench, allowing Flemings to have some moments. Wilson will see Cavaliers second-round pick Meleek Thomas (12.3 points per game) twice in the next few weeks, the Nets’ Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 6 overall pick) next week and No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa and the Wizards on Nov. 20. Dybantsa was slowed at the start of the season with an ankle issue but has been up and running for the Wizards, flashing some of the skills that made him a first-team All-American as a true freshman last season at BYU. According to the latest Las Vegas odds, Wilson sits fifth in the Rookie of the Year pecking order, trailing Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer (No. 3 overall pick), Warriors big man Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11 overall), Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr. (No. 7 overall) and Dybantsa. Jazz guard Darryn Peterson (No. 2 overall) is right behind Wilson but is making a push with back-to-back 20-point games, including a 26-point performance Sunday against the Timberwolves. This rookie class has been as good as advertised and already is making an impact around the league. Does that mean Wilson will find his chase for Rookie of the Year too difficult of a race to run? Not when you put it under a microscope: • Boozer, contender: He has the highest floor of any member of the rookie class because of his skills and the opportunity to showcase them. He’s averaging a double-double, as expected, but he also has handed out 5.2 assists per game and already has a triple-double. • Acuff Jr., pretender: There’s no doubt he can score, but he obviously has the green light to shoot as soon as the car pulls into the arena parking lot. He’s fourth in the NBA at 23 shots per game and is doing it on an awful team. • Peterson, contender : Injuries have handcuffed the Jazz somewhat, and Peterson is in perfect position to fill a void for a team that has some talent. • Lendeborg, contender: He captured the early-season hype with his trash-talking incident with Lakers star Luka Doncic and has two 30-plus-point games. The Warriors are still without swingman Jimmy Butler, but Lendeborg’s moxie has staying power. • Dybantsa, pretender: He well could be the best player in the class in a few years, but he is a third or fourth option behind shot-heavy Trae Young and Anthony Davis and sometimes even Kyshawn George. Dybantsa has to wait in line on too many nights. SHARE COPY LINK Share CLOSE Twitter Facebook Bluesky Email Reddit Flipboard Joe Cowley Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Bulls reporter Next Up In Chicago Bulls LeBron James becomes player with most career points against Bulls Josh Giddey gives Bulls' offense a lift by going downhill The Bulls offense needs more than a few fixes to get off life support Bulls need to start thinking differently about rebuild; look to trade The 1-7 Bulls are a disaster, and that's putting it mildly Losing is already taking a toll on Bulls rookie forward Caleb Wilson