5 things we learned from Bulls’ 1st 3 summer league games, including Wilson’s desire to compete

After a week in the desert, excitement and concern are heating up around the young Chicago Bulls roster.

The Bulls lost their first two NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas to the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz before pulling out a 99-87 win Tuesday over the Washington Wizards. While the results ultimately don’t matter, the contents of each game have been incredibly informative for a team in the first stage of a rebuild.

With two games remaining — Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m., Prime Video) and Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers (6 p.m., ESPN) — here are five things we learned from the Bulls’ first three games.

1. Caleb Wilson wants to play.

It’s unlikely that rookie forward Caleb Wilson will play in both of the final two summer league games, but the No. 4 pick has made a splash in his time on the court.

Wilson scored 19 points in each of the last two games after an explosive 35-point entry onto the scene in his summer league debut against the Grizzlies. Although the next two games showed flashes of the talent that dominated the opening game, they also captured the significant work ahead for Wilson in his rookie season.

The back-to-back Monday and Tuesday also captured Wilson’s intense desire to compete. He asked executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham for permission to play in both games after feeling frustrated by his performance in Monday’s loss to the Jazz.

The rookie explained that he needed to gain experience playing back-to-back games to prepare for the NBA season. But in truth, he just wanted to play — and even threw a shot at fellow top-four picks Darryn Peterson of the Jazz and AJ Dybantsa of the Wizards for sitting out their matchups.

“I can’t say they don’t enjoy basketball — but, like, I enjoy basketball,” Wilson said. “I love this (stuff). I’m going to play as much as I can.”

2. Free-throw woes.

For the first two games in Las Vegas, it seemed like Wilson couldn’t hit a free throw even if a game depended on it. He went 2-for-12 from the line before making his lone attempt against the Wizards.

He wasn’t helped by the new experimental free-throw rule for summer league: only one attempt for any shooting foul, with a point value equal to that of the field-goal attempt.

Wilson chided himself for the misses in the first two games and joked on social media after Tuesday’s game that his make from the line was “better than any 3 I made.”

The good news: The rookie is drawing fouls and creating chances at the line. For now, that’s more important than the outcome of the shots.

3. Dailyn Swain is challenged by his role.

The toughest player to assess on the Bulls summer league roster is No. 15 pick Dailyn Swain, who has been asked to play out of position as a primary ballhandler. Swain doesn’t have a bailout — no other starter can play the point, which means the rookie is being forced to sink or swim in a challenging environment.

So far, Swain has struggled. He averaged 4.3 points in the first three games with eight assists to six turnovers. While players taken directly after Swain in the draft are putting up double-digit performances, he is struggling to advance the ball past half-court and initiate through pick-and-rolls.

This is the hardest way to be introduced to the league. Swain isn’t comfortable in this role and has been open about his eagerness to learn from these struggles. Coach Tiago Splitter hasn’t seemed particularly worried by Swain’s lack of scoring, noting the importance of ballhandling and facilitation for the rookie’s integration into the Bulls roster.

4. Noa Essengue poses a familiar concern.

Splitter held out second-year forward Noa Essengue to start the second half of Monday’s game against the Jazz for one reason: He lacked energy.

Essengue is essentially a rookie after playing only six minutes over two games last season before being shut down for shoulder surgery. That means this season will be approached with all of the grace befitting a rookie season. He can make mistakes. He can brick shots. He can turn the ball over.

But he can’t disappear in games, especially under a high-energy coach like Splitter.

Both Essengue and Splitter have made it clear this issue isn’t a byproduct of the injury. Essengue feels confident in his body, although also a little awkward after months of inactivity and a recent growth spurt. At times he shows impressive on-ball defense and strong off-ball rotational help, especially as a weak-side blocker.

But on the offensive end, Essengue simply fades into the background, failing to impose himself as even a tertiary option.

As a holdover draft pick from a prior regime, Essengue can’t afford to be timid. The Bulls are trying to figure out how he fits into this team. If he can’t show that in flashes — through effort and audacity — he’s at risk of fading out of the picture. Summer league has issued the first warning.

5. Jaylin Sellers is up for this.

Outside of the draft picks, summer league rosters rarely feature players who will contribute in the regular season. But undrafted rookie Jaylin Sellers — who is on a two-way contract — is making the most of his summer league debut.

Sellers stood out in Tuesday’s win over the Wizards, scoring 24 points with three steals while displaying a relentless pace of play. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 17.3 points while starting all three games.

The challenge for Sellers — who played his final college season at Providence after two each at Ball State and Central Florida — is learning to thrive off the bench rather than as a high-usage starter. He’s clearly cut out to dominate for the Windy City Bulls in the G League. But with a deep roster of young talent in front of him, he won’t be able to make an impact on the Bulls unless he can do so with less time on the ball.