You never like to hear injury news. Especially when you’re a Bulls fan struggling to watch losing basketball, and the one young player, Caleb Wilson, who made the games watchable is now out.
Earlier today, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Wilson is undergoing surgery for a fractured right hand and will miss four to six weeks.
Chicago Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson is undergoing surgery for a fractured right hand and will miss four to six weeks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/poSfxAWexJ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 12, 2026It’s really unfortunate, especially considering how well Wilson started the season. He was leading the team in scoring and on his way to challenging rookie franchise records while putting together a ROTY-worthy campaign. But it’s a part of the sport. Injuries happen, and unfortunately, the Bulls will have to keep playing without him.
But if developing Caleb Wilson is temporarily off the table, what should the Bulls focus on over the next four to six weeks?
Chicago Bulls forward Caleb Wilson fights for the ball with San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama and guard Dylan Harper.Get Matas Buzelis Going
With a Caleb Wilson-sized hole in the roster, someone has to step up. And maybe this is exactly the opportunity Matas Buzelis needs to get his season back on track.
After a good sophomore season, expectations were high for Matas to take another leap and become at least the team’s No. 1 scoring option on a young Bulls team. But so far, through 10 games, he’s averaging 13.5 points (down from 16.3), 4.3 rebounds (down from 5.8) and 0.6 blocks per game (down from 1.5).
It also seems that while he’s gotten better at getting to the line, he’s struggled to make shots everywhere else. He’s shooting career lows across all his shooting percentages. And the worst part? It’s been noticeable.
Are the Bulls Fumbling Matas Buzelis’ Development? @Xfinity pic.twitter.com/WbTlG586kN
— ENJ?Y (@EnjoyBBall) November 9, 2026But that’s okay. It’s only been 10 games under a new coaching staff and a new playing style. Matas Buzelis now has the opportunity to establish himself as this team’s No. 1 wing and put up performances closer to what we saw last season, if not better. Tiago Splitter should make that a priority and find more ways to get the ball through him.
If that means running plays for him as a cutter, do that. If it means letting him handle the ball, let him. And especially if he’s getting a mismatch, make him take advantage of it. Whatever it takes, the Bulls need to force him to play his way out of this slump.
Matas was frustrated with himself after the loss:"Weak with the ball. Mainly me. That's unacceptable, man. That was our game to win. I feel like I lost that game for us." pic.twitter.com/s5lwPGr9M2
— Will Gottlieb (@WillGottlieb) November 12, 2026Matas has spoken about how this season he’ll be off the proverbial leash, trying out parts of his game that were subdued under Billy Donovan. And with the results not quite reflecting the work he’s put in over the offseason, he’s had to defend the progress he’s made.
So mentally, he should also have a chip on his shoulder heading into this extended stretch without Wilson.
Caleb Wilson, Josh Giddey, Norman Powell and Tobe Awaka. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn ImagesFigure Out the Bulls’ Rotations
Another opportunity the Bulls can take advantage of while Caleb Wilson is out is figuring out who deserves minutes and who doesn’t. On a game-to-game basis, we’ve seen Tiago Splitter tinker with lineups, making it almost impossible to predict who the sixth man on this team actually is.
We’ve seen Noa Essengue and Patrick Williams gain favor recently, while Leonard Miller and Buddy Hield have been picking up DNPs. With Caleb out, Miller could slide back into the rotation and prove why he’s too talented to be left on the sidelines.
Jordan Hawkins over Buddy Hield and Patrick Williams over Leonard Miller for second straight game
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 12, 2026Caleb’s injury also gives the Bulls an opportunity to experiment heavily with the starting five. In the two games Norman Powell hasn’t played, Isaac Okoro has done a great job of providing the kind of dirty work this team needs. Or maybe it’s time to insert Nic Claxton into the starting five and move Jalen Smith to the 4, giving the Bulls some much-needed strength and size in the frontcourt. This is the best time to figure that out.
Stix with a quick 8 points in the opening quarter ?@CHSN__ | @thejalen_smith pic.twitter.com/x6BhkEXVv6
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 12, 2026Because when Caleb returns, you’d want him to fit into a team that has some semblance of an identity, rather than what we’re seeing right now: a disorganized, figure-it-out-on-the-fly style of basketball that has the Bulls sitting near the bottom of the East.
Again, we know the Bulls aren’t expected to, and probably won’t, win a ton of games this season. But with the schedule getting a bit lighter now, they should at least be able to avoid losing by historic margins.
Chicago Bulls guards Norman Powell and Isaac Okoro and center Jalen Smith react.Build Up Trade Value
And finally, with no immediate need to focus on developing Caleb Wilson into the team’s No. 1 option, Chicago can use this stretch to build up the trade value of other players by giving them more opportunities to put up bigger numbers.
Wilson is attempting a team-high 16 shots per game, and those opportunities could now go to someone like Norman Powell, who’s flirting with a 20-points-per-game season.
If Powell can build up his scoring numbers in Caleb’s absence, combined with his incredibly team-friendly contract, he could potentially attract a first-round pick from a desperate team or two at the trade deadline. The same goes for Jalen Smith, who is arguably already at his peak value. He can also pick up a couple of the six rebounds per game that Wilson’s absence now leaves up for grabs.
These numbers might not win the Bulls games, but they could make Chicago a serious player in the trade market once all the new contracts become eligible to be traded.
Fingers crossed this all materializes the way it’s supposed to and help the Bulls take a step up in Wilson’s absence.
Get better soon Caleb!
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