Dailyn Swain looks better in preseason debut, but the Bulls may be asking too much of him

The Chicago Bulls played their first preseason game last night, winning 124-117 against the Phoenix Suns.

It was a promising night for the Bulls organization, as the fans got their first look at the new-look squad. Rookie Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain shined, both impressing in their debuts.

Wilson scored 15 points on 6/16 shooting, with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. He did go 0-for-4 from three, and racked up 5 fouls in just 29 minutes. But for his first real NBA run, he looked good. The story with Dailyn Swain is more interesting, after he played so poorly in the Summer League. He knocked down just 12.9% of his attempts from the field across four games.

Dailyn Swain drains a mid-range jumper off a HARD Awaka screen. pic.twitter.com/5zbqpfjxnK

— Ross Pins (@chisportsross) October 8, 2026

However, in his preseason debut, Swain played well. He scored 10 points on 3-for-3 shooting, and also added 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. When he was asked about his performance compared to this past summer, he shed light on how his approach changed.

“I just had to stop playing with the ball in the backcourt, just make one move and go,” said Swain. “I didn’t want to break up the play at first, but if I have the advantage, then I just got to take it.”

It was a welcome sign to see Swain settle into the game a bit more. Even though he looked overwhelmed at times, he showed a lot more in just one preseason game than he did in four games this summer.

The Chicago Bulls should adjust how they are handling Dailyn Swain

It’s clear that first-year head coach Tiago Splitter has a plan for these rookies. With the Eastern Conference improving this past offseason, this year for the Chicago Bulls could be all about development. Caleb Wilson will likely get plenty of chances to succeed and fail, and that’s a good thing.

Dailyn Swain, on the other hand, is a more complex project. It seems as if the Bulls are trying to make him a ball-dominant guard who facilitates. At times last night, he looked out of place and turned the ball over three times. He brought the ball up when Norman Powell and Josh Giddey were out.

The plan with Swain is interesting.

When he attended Texas, he seemed worried to shoot from the perimeter. It’s something that everyone knows he needs to work on, including himself. He projects to be a three-and-d wing, but he’s not there yet. That might be more of his role rather than a primary ball handler who’s playing like a guard, when it’s clear his game is more suited for a wing.

When the real games begin, Swain will likely be fighting for minutes. He may even get sent to the G League so he can get more real-time reps in, which wouldn’t be bad for his development.

More Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson fights it out with Dillon Brook in preseason debut

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/dailyn-swain-improves-chicago-bulls-asking-too-much/