The Chicago Bulls are all prepared to kick-off their 2026 NBA Summer League schedule. The Bulls start their summer league slate with a Friday night matchup with No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies.
The matchup pits Boozer against the man selected one pick after him, Bulls No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson.
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The Bulls-Grizzlies summer league matchup will represent Memphis’ first game in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center, following the Salt Lake City summer league in Utah where the Grizzlies played three games.
While the headliner will, of course, be the Wilson vs. Boozer matchup, there is plenty of intrigue in this matchup.
Here is a breakdown of what to watch out for:
This specific matchup isn’t guaranteed to happen but it is likely. Whether or not they directly matchup against each other, the important thing for me is comparing their respective performances in this game.
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They are in similar situations in terms of needing to show some improvement early in their careers to earn trust and playing time from their new coaching staffs.
Hendricks–who stands at 6-foot-9, 215 lbs.–was the No. 9 overall pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2023 NBA Draft. He lasted two and half seasons–76 games played–before the Jazz traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies. Essengue was the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He got extremely limited playing time at the NBA level under former Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, before a shoulder injury shut his season down.
Now Essengue will be looking to impress new Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter, who will be coaching the first few summer league games for Chicago before the rest of his staff takes over.
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Essengue will be trying to belong he deserves minutes in a crowded frontcourt–Leonard Miller, Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis, Isaac Okoro, Jalen Smith, and Patrick Williams–and Hendricks will be trying to prove he deserves minutes in a frontcourt that just added Isaiah Stewart, Quinten Post and Cameron Boozer.
These two unheralded lottery picks have a lot to prove, and July 10th will represent one of their best chances to showcase how much their games have improved.
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This won’t act as a major storyline in a game with a couple big name prospects playing, but nonetheless will be interesting from a tactical standpoint. Brendan Hausen played four years of college, most recently playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He is a shooter through and through, posting three collegiate seasons of shooting over 38% from 3-point range.
Hausen–clearly doing his best to land a more consistent NBA or G League role–has not been shy about letting it fly from deep. He is averaging a modest 10 PPG and shooting an elite 41% from deep over three summer league games. Hausen’s breakout game against the Atlanta Hawks is what has garnered the most attention, and rightfully so.
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In the Grizzlies summer league game against the Atlanta Hawks, Hausen poured in 21 points in 27 minutes in a game where Boozer did not play. Hausen shot 5-11 from the 3-point line (45.5%) and was the Grizzlies leading scorer in the loss.
The Bulls will have to always be aware of where Hausen is on the floor, which will be a much harder task should Cameron Boozer suit up for this game.
This is the matchup we’re all here for. No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer facing off against No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson is quite obviously the headliner of Friday night’s matchup.
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The last time these two matched up against each other, Wilson dropped a stat line 23 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block on 8-of-12 shooting with no turnovers.
Wilson suffered a broken right thumb that ended his college career prematurely and caused him to miss the second Duke-North Carolina matchup. Without Wilson, the Tar Heels lost the rematch to Duke that also acted as the regular season finale. In that game, Boozer dropped a dominant 26-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist double-double as the Blue Devils got the win. Friday night will be Wilson’s first chance to avenge that loss that he no doubt wished he had a chance to play in.
Odds: Bulls +5.5 (DraftKings)
TV/Streaming: Amazon Prime
