Bulls top draft choice Caleb Wilson is hunting down Rookie of the Year

Based on potential alone, it seems as though Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson has the talent to be a double-double machine in his first season.

What we already know is that Wilson, whom the Bulls selected with the No. 4 overall pick Tuesday in the NBA Draft, isn’t going to back down from his bold statements.

Three days after the 6-9 Wilson said the Bulls ‘‘have one of the GOATs in y’all history [in Michael Jordan], so it’s time for another one,’’ it was obvious his confidence hasn’t taken a hit.

The Bulls introduced Wilson and fellow first-round pick Dailyn Swain (No. 15 overall) on Friday. They joined executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham for the news conference, but it was Wilson who again made headlines.

If Swain is the humble, cool addition to the roster, Wilson is the fire. He not only declared that he ‘‘expects to have Rookie of the Year, honestly,’’ but explained why he was so confident in his abilities in what is a loaded draft class.

‘‘Me saying I want to do something and me putting the actions behind it and becoming a great player, those are all things that I feel like I’m capable of,’’ Wilson said. ‘‘Striving for something is something that we all do. Striving to be the greatest ever is a bold thing to say, but that’s what I’m striving for. I’m not striving to be an average or mediocre player; I’m striving to be the best player that’s ever played the game. And I’ve been doing that for a long time.

‘‘And if I reach that goal, I do. If I don’t, then at least I know I tried.’’

Swain made it clear he also has a chip on his shoulder, albeit for different reasons.

‘‘I know there’s a lot of young talent,’’ he said when discussing what lies in front of him with his new team. ‘‘I know we are trying to go uphill with this thing, and I think I can help that, for sure. I know what I bring from Day 1: defensive versatility, being elite in transition, making the right plays, understanding the game and being a connective player.

‘‘Being able to disrupt the offense, being able to get a lot of deflections, that was my thing in school. I want to be able to impact the game the same way [in the NBA]: disrupt the offense, get them out of rhythm, read plays before they happen, get in the passing lanes and help out a teammate on defense.’’

No wonder Graham was all smiles when discussing his selection of Swain.

It isn’t often a team can draft a college kid who led a major program — Texas, in this case — in points (17.3), rebounds (7.5), assists (3.6) and steals (1.6) in the same season. Swain and the Longhorns ended the March Madness run of BYU and No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

What validates the selection even more, however, is that multiple teams — including the Thunder — reportedly were trying to make a deal with the Bulls at that spot to draft Swain. The Thunder seemingly only make smart moves at draft time, so that’s a solid check mark for Graham.

Swain, however, said it was for others to concern themselves about where he was selected.

‘‘People just go off whatever the narrative is when they just look up a mock draft,’’ Swain said. ‘‘But if you really pay attention to all the media outlets, a lot of the arrangements were different for me. I was a wide-range guy, but I won’t say I was surprised with where I went. If I hadn’t come [to the Bulls], I think I would have been selected really soon after, and maybe that would have surprised people.

‘‘It just adds a chip on my shoulder for people that say, ‘Over-drafted,’ or whatever the case may be.