LAS VEGAS — It was exactly five months and one day since Caleb Wilson last played a basketball game. Even with the loftiest hopes of any Bulls prospect in years, he exceeded expectations.

In his first-ever NBA Summer League action, Wilson went up against fellow rookie Cameron Boozer and the Grizzlies. The team that passed over Wilson, and the player they took third overall instead.

Boozer played great. An efficient 23 points, six rebounds and four assists, showing his unique combination of IQ, skill and physicality. But Wilson was the star of the show. His 35 points nearly broke a rookie debut record. His seven three-pointers matched his total output during his college season at North Carolina. Despite being the fourth pick in a loaded top-four, it was Wilson — not AJ Dybansta, Boozer, nor Darryn Peterson — who became the talk of Las Vegas.

And yet his immediate post-game reaction was not about himself, his scoring, or his arrival to the national spotlight. It was all about the bottom line.

“We lost,” Wilson said. “That’s my goal, to come here and win. Of course, it’s cool. Somebody’s gonna break it one day, like they always do. I’m happy that I got the record, and I’m ready to move on to what’s next.”

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