TORONTO — The NBA never takes long to introduce itself to a newcomer.
It doesn’t matter how polished or well-programmed a rookie thinks himself to be in the days and weeks before his debut. Blue-blood program, AAU glory, high draft pick — nope, none of that matters. It’s the NBA. Excellence is pedestrian here.
This is the lesson Chicago Bulls No. 4 draft pick Caleb Wilson learned the hard way 71 seconds into the first game of his NBA career. Wilson thought he had Kawhi Leonard beat off his initial step. The Toronto Raptors didn’t have a low man in position, so Wilson had a clear path to the rim. All he needed to do was beat Leonard off the dribble.
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But that’s a bold assumption to make when guarded by a seven-time All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year who forged a nickname — “The Claw” — off the crafty quickness of his hands.
Wilson crossed the ball over at a relaxed pace, and Leonard extended one arm of his 7-foot-3 wingspan to poke it away. By the time Wilson clocked the loss of possession, most of the Raptors lineup was already down the court.
Many errors and missteps followed that initial turnover in the Bulls’ 135-92 season-opening loss. But that opening mistake captured the yawning chasm between where Wilson is right now and where he hopes to be someday.
“Honestly, it was kind of surreal because it’s Kawhi — it’s ‘The Claw,’” Wilson said afterward. “I was just thinking about what I could do to counter that when I was on the way back. … It’s just something you learn.”
Wilson’s first rotation was an assortment of blunders. He missed both of his shots. He lost his handle attempting to push the pace in transition, windmilling his arms haplessly as the ball squibbed backward and into the hands of Immanuel Quickley. He couldn’t rebound on defense and he let the ball get stuck on the offensive swing.
The game settled down a bit after that first rotation, but Wilson played most of his debut with the well-meaning gracelessness of a puppy who has yet to grow into his paws. He tripped over his own feet trying to execute a spin move into a double team. He stepped on the sideline while jab-stepping in the corner. He practically jumped into Jakob Poeltl’s arms while attempting to navigate a pair of screens on defense.
It wasn’t all bad. Wilson played more than 32 minutes. That’s too much time for a talented rookie to go without any highlights. But every time he delivered a redemptive move, the Raptors found a way to knock him back down.
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He tossed himself into the air at an acute angle to roll in a layup for his first basket. On the ensuing play, Scottie Barnes knocked down a 3-pointer in his face.
Wilson recovered a minute later, nailing a 3-pointer. Quickley countered by trotting upcourt and sinking another 3 over the rookie.
Wilson rocked the stanchion with a ferocious dunk in transition in the fourth quarter, only to have his next attempt at a full-court sprint smacked away by Jamal Shead, leading to a Leonard 3-pointer on the other end.
The Raptors were collectively bigger, faster and meaner. It was the first time Wilson has encountered a court full of players who all had his number in such a fashion. He finished with 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting (1 of 8 on 3s) and coughed up nine turnovers with no assists. He tallied a team-worst plus-minus of minus-45.
It’s a performance Wilson won’t want to repeat anytime soon or let hang around. This was his first NBA game. It was his first time out of the country. The firsts will end eventually. The learning won’t.
“I definitely don’t beat myself up,” Wilson said. “I don’t let anybody else’s expectations get to my head. Of course I could have done things better out there, but it’s my first NBA game. I can’t expect myself to go out there and go for 30. That’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to learn, to get better every game, and it’s going to happen over time.”
Here are three more takeaways from the loss.
1. Who is going to score?
For those who don’t want to flex their arithmetic abilities, the Bulls lost this game by 43 points. That’s a worrisome start to any season but especially for a team that could not manage more than 92 points even after the Raptors cleared their bench to finish the blowout.
One game in, it’s unclear exactly how the Bulls plan to score points this season. The offense doesn’t feature any obvious isolation scorers or playmakers. Josh Giddey, the primary facilitator, coughed up five turnovers against six assists and struggled to progress the ball past midcourt. Matas Buzelis and Wilson couldn’t create pathways to the rim. Often the Bulls fell into a flat-footed stance in the half-court offense, looking around as if waiting for an instruction that never came.
The most consistent scoring came from veterans Norman Powell, Jalen Smith and Tre Jones. The Bulls scored more than a third of their points (34) from the free-throw line while shooting a miserable 31.8% from the field. They were 4 of 36 (11.1%) behind the 3-point arc with Powell (two), Wilson and rookie Jaylin Sellers providing the only long-range makes.
The Bulls won’t get better at dribbling or breaking down defenders one-on-one overnight, but they can shore up these weaknesses by moving off the ball, cutting into space and passing with intensity. Without those factors, they will lag behind opponents regardless of their defensive acumen.
2. Matas Buzelis got overpowered.
The Bulls knew Wilson and their other rookies might receive a wake-up call in their NBA debuts. More concerning was the lack of impact from third-year forward Buzelis, who struggled to achieve his goal of pressuring the Raptors at the rim.
Buzelis did try to force the issue — and earned 16 free throws, hitting 13 — but he finished with only eight field-goal attempts, half coming behind the arc. He got stuffed by double-team blocks and turned away by larger Toronto wings, who manhandled the slighter forward in his attempts to create downhill momentum. Buzelis scored 17 points on 2-of-8 shooting while playing nearly eight fewer minutes than Wilson.
This lack of penetrative ability from Buzelis highlighted a more extensive problem for the Bulls, who have no individual ability to create off the dribble. A step forward from Buzelis would give them an offensive outlet. Without that, this offense will continue to flounder.
3. The Kawhi Leonard connection.
Wednesday’s opener marked a monumental occasion in Toronto — the return of Leonard, a franchise legend who led the Raptors to an NBA championship in 2019 in his lone previous season with the team. Leonard, 35, signed a two-year, $115 million deal with the Raptors over the summer to return to the city where he became a champion for the second time.
Raptors fans turned out in droves to celebrate Leonard’s return to ScotiaBank Arena, donning white giveaway shirts that featured Leonard’s hand extended in his “Claw” signature. It also was a welcome reunion for Powell and Bulls coach Tiago Splitter, both of whom won an NBA championship as Leonard’s teammate.
The San Antonio Spurs drafted Leonard in 2011, a year after Splitter joined the team, and the pair spent four seasons as teammates, including a championship run in 2014. Splitter praised Leonard as a quiet teammate with a loud presence on the court.
“He would just steal my rebounds back in the day,” Splitter joked.
Powell won a championship with Leonard in Toronto and stayed with the Raptors for two more seasons. His March 2021 trade to the Portland Trail Blazers didn’t sever a strong connection to the Toronto fan base, which welcomed him back warmly.
Before the game, Powell noted that Leonard has grown into his star power in the seven seasons since they played together. Leonard didn’t overwhelm in his first outing back in Toronto, shooting 5 of 17 from the field, but he finished with 23 points.