BULLS WIN! Caleb Wilson Impresses as Chicago Beats Suns 124 117

THE BULLS ARE 1-0! 🐂🔥 But… DON'T OVERREACT! THE NEW ERA STARTS WITH A WIN! The Chicago Bulls opened their 2026 preseason with a 124-117 comeback victory over the Phoenix Suns at the United Center — and while this is only preseason, there was plenty for Bulls fans to get excited about. ESPN In this episode of Whole Lotta Bull, Troy (@bulls_troy) breaks down the first real-game look at Tiago Splitter's new-look Bulls and asks the question every Chicago fan is already thinking: DID WE JUST SEE SOMETHING SPECIAL? 👀🐂 Let's pump the brakes first. This isn't Opening Night. Stars aren't playing their regular-season minutes. Rotations are being experimented with. Coaches are testing combinations. Players are getting their legs under them. That's what preseason is for. It's about shaking off the cobwebs, building game fitness and taking everything you've been working on in training camp into an actual NBA game situation. But that doesn't mean we can't identify things we LIKE. And there was plenty to like from Chicago's comeback. 🔥 CALEB WILSON'S BULLS DEBUT The No. 4 overall pick officially stepped onto the court for his first preseason game in a Bulls uniform — and finished with 15 points, along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Sofascore Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But that's the point. We're getting our first glimpse of what Caleb Wilson can become in Chicago. And Bulls fans are going to want to talk about it. 🚀 MATAS BUZELIS LOOKED AGGRESSIVE One of the biggest positives from the game was Matas Buzelis attacking the basket. Buzelis finished with 14 points, while also contributing 3 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Sofascore That's the version of Matas Bulls fans have been waiting to see. More aggression. More downhill attacks. More confidence. If that continues into the regular season, Chicago could have a VERY interesting young forward on its hands. 👀 JALEN SMITH MAKES HIS CASE With Nic Claxton dealing with a hamstring injury, the center rotation is already something Bulls fans are watching closely. And Jalen Smith gave Tiago Splitter plenty to think about. Smith finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds, including 5 offensive rebounds, while knocking down 2-of-4 from three. Bleacher Nation Could Smith be more important to this Bulls team than people originally expected? 🧠 WHAT DID WE LEARN ABOUT TIAGO SPLITTER? This was also our first meaningful look at how Splitter is going to manage his rotations in an actual game. And that's one of the biggest things Troy will be watching. Who plays together? Who gets trusted? Who gets opportunities? And perhaps most importantly: What is Tiago Splitter trying to build with this Bulls roster? Chicago trailed by as many as 15 points, but fought its way back and closed the game strongly, eventually winning by seven. Sofascore The Bulls also finished with 30 assists, showing some encouraging ball movement despite the inevitable preseason sloppiness. Sofascore 🐂 BUT LET'S KEEP THIS WIN IN PERSPECTIVE This is preseason. We're not declaring the Bulls contenders because they beat Phoenix. We're not declaring anyone a bust because they struggled. We're not deciding the starting lineup based on one game. And we're certainly not throwing out everything we've learned from training camp. But we ARE allowed to be excited. Because for the first time, Bulls fans got to see this new roster, this new coaching staff and this new era of Chicago basketball actually play a game together. And after falling behind early, the Bulls showed enough fight, ball movement, defensive activity and young-player potential to give fans plenty to talk about. The Bulls are 1-0 in preseason. Now let's see what they do next. 👀 👇 WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM THE BULLS' PRESEASON OPENER? Was it Caleb Wilson? Was it Matas Buzelis? Did Jalen Smith change your thinking? Or did you see something from Tiago Splitter's system that has you even more excited? Drop your thoughts below and let's talk Bulls! 🐂 Subscribe to Whole Lotta Bull for Chicago Bulls news, reactions, analysis and unapologetically Chicago-biased Bulls talk. BULLS TALK. REAL FANS. NO FILTER. #ChicagoBulls #BullsNation #SeeRed #NBA #WholeLottaBull