Our Chicago Bulls got off to a troublingly shaky start to their Summer League tenure, going 0-2 against a loaded Memphis Grizzlies squad Friday and then a not-so-loaded Utah Jazz team missing its three best players on Monday.
Early on during the Bulls’ Tuesday face-off against a Washington Wizards squad without No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa or returning second-year standouts Tre Johnson and Will Riley, Chicago appeared destined for a third straight loss — while playing everybody on the second night of a back-to-back slate.
The club coughed up three turnovers to abet a 9-0 Wizards advantage, powered by five points from power forward Chris Livingston. But then, something surprising happened. Chicago woke up in the first half!
Did Dailyn Swain play any better than he has throughout the rest of Summer League thus far? Absolutely not, advanced metrics aside.
Did Noa Essengue, who was benched in favor of point guard Kennedy Chandler (thus shifting Swain to his more natural position of small forward), actually look semi-competent on offense after a brutal showing against the Jazz? Actually, yes.
But that wasn’t the story.
Beyond another superlative Caleb Wilson showing, Jaylin Sellers and Donovan Atwell were the stories.
At last, the Bulls logged their first Summer League win. With Bulls alums Scott Williams, Zach LaVine and Taj Gibson, Chicago’s less-heralded backcourt cogs helped power the club to a 99-87 blowout over the Wizards’ scrubs.
First Half
Superstar-in-waiting Wilson submitted some typically enticing highlights in the first half on Tuesday. Unlike his breakout bout against the Grizzlies, his early offense got cooking from paint scoring, leaning on his explosive burst to finish around interior defenders.
The 4th overall pick powers his way inside for the SLAM!Watch Caleb Wilson and the @chicagobulls in action on Prime ? pic.twitter.com/ILl0LhkqWq
— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2026Two-way signing Sellers, who’s been frisky if deeply inefficient in the other two contests, stood out at the break. Undrafted rookie former Texas Tech guard Donovan Atwell led all Chicago scorers with 10 points in the first half.
A 22-15 Bulls edge in the second frame helped Chicago build out a one-point lead at the break, 37-36. The Bulls continued to struggle shooting from distance in the opening half. They went just 5-of-19 on their triple tries during that span.
Second Half
Chicago pulled away a bit in the third period, thanks to a blistering 4-of-4 shooting start from distance to open things up (including 2-of-2 shooting from Atwell).
The Bulls sprinted into the fourth and final quarter with a marginal 66-59 advantage.
Sellers looked even more composed in the fourth quarter. He and Wilson keyed a 14-4 Bulls run to kick off the fourth quarter, capped off by this two-way masterpiece.
Jaylin Sellers getting after it on both ends!@JaylinSellers | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/xxfgb8rqF4
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) July 15, 2026Noa Essengue seemed to respond positively to his benching, although he still didn’t look for his shot enough. He scored eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and grabbed seven rebounds.
Sellers led all scorers with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor (2-of-6 from long range) and 5-of-6 shooting from the foul line, while flashing some real defensive moxie. Wilson looked like the two-way behemoth we want him to be, logging a 19-point, eight-rebound, two-block performance. He shot 7-of-15 from the field (including 2-of-6 from 3-point land) and 1-of-1 from the charity stripe (finally).
Chicago’s other two-way signing, center Tobe Awaka, finally (ahem) awoke. He logged a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double on 75 percent field goal shooting.
Is Dailyn Swain Okay?
Dailyn Swain © Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesSwain’s Summer League struggles may officially be reaching the “concerning” level.
Even being moved off the ball on Tuesday, the No. 15 pick in last month’s 2026 NBA Draft went a miserable 0-of-7 from the field and 1-of-2 from the charity stripe (but remember, one free throw can represent multiple free throw attempts in Summer League, depending on circumstance) for two points, passed for five assists and pulled down five rebounds. Still, though, his defensive versatility helped him secure a Bulls-best +18 plus-minus.
His ice-cold shooting from the field at this point is now a miserable 3-of-26. The jumper was always going to be the biggest developmental question mark for Swain, and it’s just Summer League. Still, Chicago’s coaching staff may have their work cut out for them during his rookie season.
Full Box Score
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