Caleb Wilson’s 67 points in three games trail only Michael Jordan’s Bulls start, and the rookie says the plan was simple: ‘Just being aggressive’

Caleb Wilson has scored 67 points in his first three NBA games, and only one player in Chicago Bulls history has opened a career with more: Michael Jordan, with 74 in the fall of 1984. The rookie got there with a 30-point, 14-rebound night in Saturday’s home opener, a career best in both columns that came in a 124-120 loss to the Washington Wizards.

The No. 4 pick out of North Carolina has gone up every night. He scored 16 in his debut in Toronto and 21 against Milwaukee before Saturday. Jordan’s first two games produced the same 16 and 21, the second of them also against the Bucks, before he answered with 37 in his third.

How he got to 30

Wilson took 24 shots and made 10, and he lived at the rim. Five of his first-half baskets were dunks, and he was 9 of 11 at the free-throw line. The perimeter was another story: he went 1 for 9 from three. He added three assists, two steals and a block in 38 minutes, with no turnovers, and Chicago was 14 points better with him on the floor.

Asked about his approach against a big Washington front line, Wilson kept it short. “Just being aggressive,” he said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He added that the Wizards’ size pushed the Bulls into the open floor, telling reporters that “our opportunities are in transition because they have so much size.” Chicago won fast-break points 34-9.

The 30-and-14 line also made him the first Bulls rookie with a 30-point, 10-rebound game since Lauri Markkanen.

Why the night still stung

The record came in a loss that turned on one quarter. The Bulls led 62-57 at halftime, then were outscored 40-20 in the third, shooting 7 of 24 from the field. A 38-point fourth, with Matas Buzelis adding 21 points, got them within one possession but not over the top. Chicago is 1-2 under first-year coach Tiago Splitter, and Wilson is averaging 22.3 points and 8.0 rebounds a game.

The full box score is in the Game Center.

What comes next

Wilson’s next test is a road trip to face the Boston Celtics on Monday, October 26, at 7:30 p.m. ET, against a frontcourt built around Jayson Tatum. Follow it in the Game Center.