Can Chicago Bulls phenom-in-the-making Caleb Wilson become the 2027 Rookie of the Year?
Typically, a first-year player putting up massive numbers on a bad team doesn’t really affect their standing in these kinds of competitions. Say what you will about the 1-7 Bulls (and there’s much to be said), but Wilson has looked great early. But two other prominent frontcourt lottery picks have both been pretty extraordinary on Western Conference clubs that would make the postseason, if the regular season ended today.
Let’s get into who’s trending up and who’s trending down in the current competition.
Golden State Warriors forward Yaxel Lendeborg drives to the hoop next to Miami Heat forward Pelle Larsson.Stock Up
Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Golden State Warriors
There’s no denying that the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft may have been severely undervalued by scouts due to his advanced age. At 24, Lendeborg is four years Caleb Wilson’s senior and five years older than Cameron Boozer.
Lendeborg has been the galvanizing factor in the Warriors’ surprising 6-3 start. Golden State is without Jimmy Butler or Moses Moody for much of the year, while center Kristaps Porzingis — who inked a one-plus-one $40 million contract with the Warriors this offseason — announced Friday that he was stepping away from basketball entirely due to his ongoing struggles with POTS.
But Lendeborg has been so good, the Warriors’ three absences haven’t really made much of an adverse impact since the team’s 0-3 start.
YAXEL LENDEBORG: MOST POINTS BY A WARRIORS ROOKIE IN A SINGLE GAME SINCE STEPH IN 2010!? 37 PTS (career-high, game-high)? 6 AST? 6 3PM? 13-19 FGM4 straight wins for @Yaxel_Lendeborg and the @warriors! pic.twitter.com/422cb82ur7
— NBA (@NBA) November 2, 2026The seasoned combo forward has served as an athletic two-way force for a generally undersized Warriors club. The Ringer‘s Bill Simmons believes Lendeborg is playing like a fringe All-Star.
Through his first nine games for Golden State, Lendeborg has been averaging 21.0 points while slashing .492/.396/.759, 7.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks a night.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer shoots a 3.Cameron Boozer, PF, Memphis Grizzlies
Cameron Boozer seemed like he would be in a terrific position to nab ROTY honors heading into the season. The most polished big man heading into the draft, Carlos’ son has been a key cog in guiding the Grizzlies to a respectable six-game win streak to kick off the season.
While breakout guard Ty Jerome has looked like Memphis’ All-Star (i.e. just eight games into the year), Boozer looks like the long-term All-NBA prospect. The team has now dropped two in a row, but currently stands as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.
The 19-year-old became just the second-oldest player to notch a triple-double in NBA history. He achieved the feat during a 124-103 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers (who’ve only lost a game), chipping in 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 dimes. Now-Bulls point guard Josh Giddey still holds the record, at 19 years and 84 days old.
Boozer has been averaging 15.6 points, 10 rebounds, 5.2 assists (!), and 0.7 blocks a night. Once he bolsters his interior scoring (he’s slashing .339/.316/.950), he’ll really be unstoppable.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesCaleb Wilson
For this first installment of what we intend to be an ongoing series, we had to talk about our guy Caleb Wilson here.
He’s certainly trending upwards on the year, even if our Bulls are careening towards making the wrong kind of NBA history right now. Being implemented as a big wing — i.e. more of Tracy McGrady type than a Kevin Garnett type — Wilson has at times looked a bit raw initiating offense and handling. He also needs to spend a bit more time in the weight room. But he’s still able to create his own 3-point shot off the dribble and blow by pretty much anyone.
Caleb Wilson 8-game tape. 19.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.1 BPG 40/30/70 splits most overlooked rookie. pic.twitter.com/Yryzbvc571
— Bulls Chronicles (@BullsTalkOnly) November 6, 2026In eight bouts, Wilson has been averaging 19.5 points on .409/.302/.694 shooting splits, 6.5 boards, 2.4 assists (against 2.8 turnovers), 1.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks. His -10.4 plus-minus looks pretty patchy, but in fairness he’s playing on a horrible, disjointed team. Should that really be held against him in this race?
For now, that answer appears to be yes. Maybe if Chicago returns to a baseline level of semi-confidence, that can change.
Utah Jazz guard Darryn Peterson dribbles against San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie.Stock Down
Darryn Peterson, G, Utah Jazz
It’s early, and the Utah Jazz are missing All-Star power forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. and center Jusuf Nurkic, but one has to wonder if Danny Ainge wouldn’t have been better off never trading for Jackson or ditching Walker Kessler. Utah could be rolling with a frontcourt of the future featuring Boozer and Kessler, who at 24 probably hasn’t peaked yet.
Still, No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson has been a bit hit-and-miss in the backcourt next to newly extended point guard Keyonte George. Following a positively Ben Simmons-esque one-and-done collegiate stint at Kansas, Peterson seemed like a riskier investment than Boozer, if not Caleb Wilson. The talent is there, but he hasn’t put everything together just yet under Will Hardy.
sweet pass from the rook ?#TakeNote t.co/TYNpZdup5j pic.twitter.com/oNqIqLKGfm
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 5, 2026In his nine games for the 1-8 Jazz so far, the 19-year-old has been averaging 13.6 points on paltry .369/.341/.893 shooting splits, 3.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks a night — plus a disappointing -6.8 plus-minus.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Mikel Brown Jr. dribbles.Mikel Brown Jr., G, Brooklyn Nets
Mikel Brown Jr. may boast a more impressive pedigree than any of the five (!) rookies the Brooklyn Nets drafted last year. That said, the No. 6 overall pick out of Louisville hasn’t been able to put up consistent points just yet, even on a bad team.
Across six healthy games, the 20-year-old has logged mediocre averages of 12.0 points on a .338/.297/.833 slash line, 4.0 assists (against 2.2 turnovers), 2.3 rebounds, and 0.7 swipes. Are his prolific veteran teammates Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle hogging the ball from the young gun? Maybe, but it’s early yet.
Still, Darius Acuff has been given the keys to the kingdom in Sacramento, even while shooting very inefficiently. Can Brown get there this year?
Chicago Bulls wing Dailyn Swain dunks.Dailyn Swain, SG, Bulls
Look, we don’t want to kick Dailyn Swain while he’s down, but the Bulls did select him with the No. 15 pick in this year’s draft, just outside of the lottery. Chicago is just 1-7 and has the worst point differential and net rating in the NBA — but Tiago Splitter still refuses to give Swain any real roster minutes.
That’s… less than great. Swain looked rough in Summer League, but was a bit stronger during the preseason, when he played more off the ball. The 21-year-old swingman has only been available when Splitter has emptied his bench in two games, averaging 9.4 minutes in those instances. At some point, though, the Bulls’ backcourt will get banged up, and Swain will find his way into the rotation, even if it’s a temporary window. Hopefully he’ll get a shot to see what he can do.
He’s probably not going to get a lot of ROTY votes if he stays on the outside looking in much longer.
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