Two of the ACC’s top freshmen faced off again in Las Vegas.
Caleb Wilson and Cameron Boozer were at the center of college basketball’s fiercest rivalry last season—Wilson starring for North Carolina until a thumb injury cut his season short, and Boozer excelling for Duke. Their connection goes back to AAU, where they played together on Nightrydas Elite and won the 2024 Peach Jam before ending up on opposite sides of Tobacco Road. In their only college matchup, Wilson scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting with 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block; Boozer countered with a 24 point and 11 rebounds. UNC edged Duke 71-68 on a buzzer-beater, ending the Blue Devils’ 10-game win streak.
In June’s NBA Draft, Boozer was selected third overall by Memphis and Wilson went fourth to Chicago. At the Bulls’ introductory press conference, Wilson embraced a lofty comparison: “I want to be the greatest of all time. Y’all got one of the GOATs in y’all history, so it’s time for another one.”
On Friday night in Las Vegas, Wilson and Boozer met as pros for the first time, with Memphis topping Chicago 97-96 at the Thomas & Mack Center, with Wilson scoring 35 on blistering long-range shooting and Boozer posting 23 points.
Caleb Wilson of the Chicago Bulls is guarded by Cameron Boozer of the Memphis Grizzlies in the second half Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Ethan Miller via Getty Images)
Setting the stage
Boozer arrived in Vegas already having a head start on Summer League buzz. He’d opened his professional career in the Salt Lake City Summer League, dropping 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists on 7-of-11 shooting in a blowout win over Oklahoma City, punctuating his first pro possession with a two-hand dunk off a give-and-go. He followed that with an 18-point outing (6-of-9 from the floor, 4-of-5 from three) against Utah. Through two games, Boozer was averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds on 65% shooting, showcasing efficiency, playmaking and heady IQ and validating the pro-ready rep that made him a top-three pick.
Wilson, by contrast, arrived in Vegas still looking for his first taste of organized action in months. He admitted to feeling “jitters” in the days leading up to the trip, having not played in a live setting since his thumb injury ended his UNC season in March. Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter, though, had already seen enough in practice to rave about him: “The size and the athletic ability is special. It’s something you don’t see very often.”
The matchup carried extra juice given the schedule-makers’ choice to put Wilson’s very first pro game across from his old rival — and, by extension, across from the player who’s set an early bar for this draft class alongside No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa and No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson, both of whom also turned in strong Summer League performances.
Boozer set the tone from the tip
Wilson actually drew first blood, opening the game by knocking down a 3 on Chicago’s first possession — an early sign the rust from his months away hadn’t carried over into his shot. He attempted just 27 3s last season, so seeing that confidence and willingness to let it fly early was a bonus (more on that later). But it was Boozer who set the tone from there. He got to work in the post and the mid-range, showing off the touch that made him a nightmare cover in the ACC. He drew a couple of fouls simply by sealing his man and demanding position on the block. He flashed some defensive edge too, which caught the crowd by surprise, stripping Wilson clean and finishing the other way with a breakaway dunk. Not long after, he got switched onto Wilson one-on-one and buried a tough one-foot turnaround right over him.
Wilson had his own moment on the other end, turning the ball over and then sprinting back in transition to swat Javon Smalls’ shot into the crowd. A not-so-gentle reminder that his motor never stops and offering a peek into his defensive upside.
By halftime, Boozer had racked up his numbers in far fewer touches, ending the half with 12 points on efficient shooting, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, while Wilson had piled up 16 points in a more high-usage, higher-volume fashion. The individual scoring race was tight, but the eye test wasn’t: Boozer looked like the more complete player, continuing to showcase the same poise and control he’d flashed all summer since his debut in Salt Lake City.
Second half: Caleb got busy
Wilson picked right back up where he left off. He scored 13 points in the second half, continuing to get his own shot whenever he wanted it. It was an efficient, confident scoring binge for a guy who hadn’t played in months, and it erased any doubt about whether the rust or the jitters would show up in live action.
And he only turned it up from there. Wilson kept attacking off the catch and off the dribble as the second half wore on, and Chicago rode that scoring surge to claw all the way back into a game it had trailed for long stretches, turning what looked like a comfortable Memphis cushion into a genuine down-to-the-wire fight. Whatever jitters he’d worried about before the game were long gone — this was a player playing on instinct, unbothered by the moment.
Boozer, meanwhile, just kept being Boozer: efficient, under control and productive without needing a heavy shot diet, even as fouls have piled up and forced him to play a bit more carefully. It’s the same complete, low-maintenance game that made him the best player in the country last season — it just looks a little different now that it’s coming against NBA-caliber competition instead of college defenses.
The closing moments … best of Summer League
Neither one was done down the stretch.
The finish delivered exactly the drama that billing promised. With Memphis clinging to a 95-90 lead in the final 10 seconds, Wilson buried a 3 to make it 95-93 before Boozer, fouled immediately after, calmly knocked down both free throws to push the lead back to 97-93. It looked like it might be enough to close the door. Not quite: Wilson got one more look and drained a 29-footer as time expired as Memphis held on.
It was the perfect ending to the best game of this Summer League so far — one that saw both prized rookies go off. Wilson shot 12-of-21 overall and 7-of-11 from 3 to go with 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks in 33 minutes,. Boozer closed his own line at 23 points on efficient 7-of-12 shooting, adding 6 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block in 27 minutes — the more efficient, complete outing, and, in the end, the winning one.
Neither player left any doubt about why they were picked where they were. Wilson erupted for the biggest scoring night of anyone in Summer League so far, proving that months on the sidelines with a fractured thumb did nothing to dull his shot-making or his motor on either end. His six turnovers and minus-11 were the rough edges that come with that kind of high usage and hardly a referendum on the talent. Boozer, meanwhile, did what he’s done all summer: played the position with poise, efficiency and a competitive streak that showed up in the turnover he forced off Wilson and in the two free throws that ultimately sealed the win.
The next time these two share the court, it probably won’t go like this. But on Night 2 of the Vegas Summer League, they delivered everything fans wanted to see.
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