NBA Summer League is in full swing. If you haven’t paid much attention yet, former UNC basketball standout Caleb Wilson is making headlines.Wilson, the Chicago Bulls’ fourth overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, scored a Summer League debut-record 35 points on July 10. Wilson led all players with 19 points and five blocks on Monday night, then added 19 points and eight rebounds during his first pro win on Tuesday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith Wilson already proving himself in his debut, then again on Monday, why’d he play again Tuesday instead of resting for safety precautions like his fellow Top-4 picks?After Tuesday’s 99-87 win over former teammate Seth Trimble and the Washington Wizards, Wilson gave a great answer you’ll want to keep replaying.”I mean I feel like I’m different than all of them,” Wilson said. “I can’t say they don’t enjoy basketball, but I enjoy basketball. I love this s***. I’m going to play as much as I can, as much as my team will let me. I’m not the type to go away from a game because I don’t feel good. I know in the NBA, I’m not going to feel good some games. As long as I don’t have an injury or something that’s actually wrong with me, I’m going to play every time. Because you know, people come from all over the world to come see me play. I don’t want to let them down.”On Tuesday, Washington announced top overall pick AJ Dybantsa won’t play again in the Summer League. During Monday’s 80-63 loss to the Utah Jazz, Wilson didn’t get to battle second overall pick Darryn Peterson, which shocked him.”I’m not disappointed,” Wilson continued. “I feel like yesterday (Monday) was kind of weird for me because I expected to play against Darryn. I expect to play against a lot of players that they had sit out, so when I came into the game I didn’t have the right mindset in my opinion, which led to me missing my free throws. Just reflecting on it now because I’m a real competitor and I want to compete against the best players. And I feel like that led to me not having my best game yesterday. But today, I just came in with a different mindset, knowing we’re doing this off a back-to-back and knowing that the defense is going to play me in a different way, just trying to get my teammates involved.”Wilson has no hard feelings for his rookie classmates, but he simply wants the best challenge from opponents. This year’s NBA Draft Class has the potential to be an all-time great one, with each of the Top Four picks headed for great careers.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFollow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Caleb Wilson delivers bold claim after NBA Summer League win Tuesday
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