The NBA Summer League is off to the races with plenty of eyes on Las Vegas. Tipping off at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Chicago Bulls will take on the Memphis Grizzlies.
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering odds for all the summer league matchups, including some player prop and team prop options depending on your location.
Looking at the odds for this matchup, the Grizzlies enter as 6.5-point favorites and hold -250 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Bulls hold +205 odds of pulling off the upset, with the game total set at 183.5 points.
Bulls vs. Grizzlies preview, prediction
The Chicago Bulls have an intriguing summer league roster, starting with head coach Thiago Splitter at the helm. Splitter served as the interim head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers last season and led the youthful group to a 42-40 record and a playoff opportunity. Talks went south with the Trail Blazers organization, which resulted in him taking the head coaching job with the Chicago Bulls, and he is jumping right into the mix by leading the summer league squad.
Fourth overall pick Caleb Wilson headlines the action, while the 15th pick in this year’s draft, Dailyn Swain, joins him in making their NBA debuts. They will join last year’s 12th overall pick, Noa Essengue, after he played just six minutes of NBA action in his rookie year. Tobe Awaka is an intriguing big man who has been signed to a two-way deal, while Kennedy Chandler, Antonio Reaves, and Charles Bediako have shown some impressive flashes at the G League level. Boo Buie is a former NCAA Tournament legend and fan favorite who will look to open some NBA eyes while playing on his deal in the Chinese league.
The Memphis Grizzlies have officially kicked off their rebuild with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. officially traded away and beginning life with their new teams. This will be the first look at their new influx of young talent in Las Vegas, headlined by third overall pick Cameron Boozer. He will be joined by last year’s 11th overall pick, Cedrick Coward, as well as former first-round picks Taylor Hendricks and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.
Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack each are on two-way contracts with the Grizzlies and will look to make their presence felt. Tyler Burton opened some eyes in his 12 games played last season, while Carson Copper, Brendan Hausen, and Jestin Porter are a few other names to watch. Assistant coach Erik Schmidt will be at the helm as the summer league head coach. It is worth noting that 21st overall pick Karim Lopez and Walter Clayton Jr. participated in the Salt Lake City summer league but will miss these Las Vegas matchups.
Bulls vs. Grizzlies pick, best bet
This will be the first look at this summer Bulls roster, while the Grizzlies participated in the Salt Lake City variation of summer league. Memphis went 1-2 in these opportunities. They defeated the Oklahoma City 111-74 in the opening matchup, before losing to the Utah Jazz 109-100, and the Atlanta Hawks 96-82.
It was a mixed bag of results from the Grizzlies in their opening three summer league games. But this will be the first look at this Bulls roster on this stage. There will be some added intensity in the building for this matchup as the third and fourth overall picks in this draft face off for the first time. Caleb Wilson has not been shy about his declarations that he believes he is the best player in this draft class, and this will be his first chance to prove this.
To be fair to the North Carolina product, the story very well may have been different had his one-and-done season not ended early due to his fractured left hand and broken right thumb. Wilson plays with an admirable spirit and will to win that should carry over to the summer league setting. This will be far from the most polished basketball of the season, which is more of a setting where Cameron Boozer tends to be at his best. Memphis is losing Lopez and Clayton Jr. from their Salt Lake City roster as they will skip the Las Vegas portion.
I am backing the Bulls to pull off the upset with Wilson setting the tone for the team. Kennedy Chandler, Antonio Reaves, and Charles Bediako provide more NBA experience than is often the case in this type of setting. This is an important opportunity for Noa Essengue, and expect him to bring his best effort to cement his standing with the organization. Chicago will have an athletic advantage in this matchup, which I expect to make an impact in this pickup style of play. Count on the athletic advantage and competitive spirit of Wilson to be the difference in this battle, the first matchup between these potential NBA stars, and for the Bulls to get off on the right foot in summer league.
