CHICAGO—The fourth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Caleb Wilson, has undergone his third significant hand injury in under ten months. Wilson broke a bone in his left hand during a game against Miami while playing for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. The injury sidelined the freshman for six games. That was just the beginning.
A month later, Wilson had just resumed individual workouts to return to the lineup when the college student broke his right thumb, dunking during a practice drill. UNC announced the next day, March 6, 2026, that Wilson’s thumb would require surgery, ending his freshman season before March Madness.
Last night, against the San Antonio Spurs, during a Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose interview on the broadcast, Wilson blitzed Wembanyama and jammed his right hand into Wembanyama’s elbow. The rookie promptly departed the game for the locker room with 9:21 to go in the third quarter.
The Bulls were up 73-66 after weathering a 10-3 surging Spurs run after halftime and couldn’t hold on without their star rookie forward, losing 124-119.
Wilson will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured right hand and will undergo surgery today, per ESPN. If the rookie misses four weeks, it would be 13 games, five weeks would be 16 games, on pace to return around the Miami road trip in late December. If Wilson isn’t able to return for six weeks, he could miss 20 games, almost a quarter of his rookie season. Not ideal, but not season-ending either.
Through the first nine games, Wilson and Norman Powell (also out last night due to lower back spasms) were tied for the team’s scoring leader (19.3 points per game). Wilson has demonstrated why he was picked so high, averaging 18.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in ten games as a starter.
Wilson’s three-point development has been especially notable, even displaying off the dribble threes on Wednesday. He’s averaging 32.4% from behind the three-point line, shooting 7.1 per game. At UNC, Wilson only shot 25.9% and only 1.1 three-pointers per game.
The Bulls rookie finished Wednesday’s contest with 15 points in 15 minutes, tallying five rebounds, one steal and two turnovers. The Bulls led by as many as 22 points in the second quarter before Wembanyama and company stormed back. The Spurs, thanks to a 32-point night from Wembanyama and an 18-point night with 10 assists and zero turnovers from Dylan Harper, capped a 10-game win streak. San Antonio improved to 10-2 on the season and 6-0 on the road.
Chicago dropped to 1-9 on the season, losing their eighth straight. The Bulls have yet to win a game at the United Center, starting the season 0-4 at home.
Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Bryson Graham, constructed this team in the offseason with flexibility and versatility to gauge who meshes with Caleb Wilson’s play style. Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey showed flashes of cohesion against the Philadelphia 76ers last week. Giddey put up 19 points with 15 assists and seven rebounds. Buzelis notched 19 points, five rebounds and two assists to complement Wilson’s 18-point night.
Without the rookie sensation alongside the organizational pieces, the next 4-6 weeks will be a proving ground for an already struggling Bulls lineup that just lost its star player.
