Caleb Wilson Injured, Latest Rumors on Bulls Star's Return Timeline After Suffering Hand Fracture

A dismal season reportedly took another bad turn for the Chicago Bulls.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Thursday that promising rookie Caleb Wilson suffered a fractured right hand and needs surgery. He is expected to miss four to six weeks for the 1-9 Bulls.

Wilson suffered the injury during Wednesday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

He was excellent prior to the setback with 15 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes of action as he went up against a frontcourt led by Victor Wembanyama. 

Spurs-Bulls Highlights

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The No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA draft has been a significant bright spot for a Bulls team that doesn't have many others. He is averaging 18.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 42 percent from the field in his rookie campaign.

Wilson looks like a foundational cornerstone for the Bulls, and his long-term health is more important than the immediate future of what is already shaping up to be a lost season. Chicago will surely take a cautious approach when it comes to clearing him to return even with an expected timeframe of a month or more.

Head coach Tiago Splitter even suggested the team needs a "smart" approach with the North Carolina product.

"We've got to be smart with him of course," he told reporters. "He's playing a lot of minutes. Those minutes are important to his development, but we've also got to be smart with his body being young. I think there's a false thought that when you're young you can do whatever but that's not true. You've got to get stronger, you've got to get your body prepared to face a season like the NBA, so we've got to be careful there and we've got to monitor it for sure."

The Bulls could give more minutes to Leonard Miller or Noa Essengue in the meantime, but Wilson's health will be the most important development for the coming weeks.