Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson emitting young-Michael Jordan vibes with his play, talk

It sounds like the good old days whenever he’s announced during introductions.

“From North Carolina …” Tim Sinclair blares.

Bulls fans of a certain age connect that school to one person, Michael Jordan. But in just a handful of games, Caleb Wilson has generated an excitement similar to the one those Bulls fans felt in 1984, when Jordan was just starting to get cooking on the West Side.

Not to put pressure on the kid — he’s 20 years old and looks younger — but the 16 points he scored in his first NBA game matched what His Airness scored in his. Five MVP Awards, 10 NBA scoring championships and six titles are right around the corner.

But here’s the thing: Wilson didn’t even give us the chance to anoint him as the Bulls’ next franchise player. He beat us to it, setting his sights on being the Rookie of the Year and striving to be the best player — ever.

Is there a rule against one city having two such players? Wilson would be happy to break it.

He doesn’t even think he’s putting undue pressure on himself. He believes he can do it.

“It’s just expectations for myself,” he said Wednesday. “If I stay healthy and I continue to do the work that I’m supposed to do, I feel like there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be a great player and hopefully Rookie of the Year.”

He certainly showed glimpses Monday in an otherwise forgettable night for the Bulls in Boston. During one stretch of the second quarter, Wilson beat Paul George one-on-one from the perimeter with a jab step and finished with a dunk, then beat George and Mitchell Robinson on the baseline with floater.

Those aren’t Wilson’s college contemporaries. Those are longtime NBA veterans. But Wilson has no symptoms of imposter syndrome.

“I definitely feel like I belong,” he said. “I feel like I’ve had great games, and, shoot, I’ve played against the best players and I’ve held my own and done well.”

That might look cocky in print, but it sounded nothing of the sort. When told that it appeared he was picking things up on the floor quickly, he responded with the most matter-of-fact “I told you so” ever spoken.

“Every game I learn something new, and I feel like every game I get better,” he said. “No matter what the stats say, I feel like I get better every single game. It’s so fun to see growth, and it’s so rapid for me.”

“We’re coaching him hard; he asked for that,” Bulls coach Tiago Splitter said. “He’s doing a lot of things that he’s not used to. He played at the four, big-man position in college, and he’s guarding [the Celtics’ Jayson] Tatum in a pick-and-roll. So there’s a lot of things for him to learn.”

One thing he already learned came from Jordan, who famously made up grudges and slights to motivate himself on the court. Wilson, a self-professed nice guy, said he needs to do something similar to conjure the venom required to compete in the NBA.

“When I go on the court, it’s hard to be, like, frustrated, but that’s when I play my best,” Wilson said. “So I just have to get that level of frustration and anger so I can play and be the best player I can be.”

MJ would be proud.

He also would be proud of the attention Wilson is drawing from the opposition. Wilson hasn’t even played a half-dozen games yet, but he appears to be at the top of scouting reports.

“Something that I’ve noticed, I’m usually getting the best defender every night,” Wilson said. “And I’m usually drawing two or three people every time I attack the paint. So just having that knowledge and knowing the gravity that I have in being able to create for others is something that I feel like I’ve really grown with lately.”

Wilson said his playmaking, not his scoring, has grown the fastest in his short time as a pro.

“I’ve missed a lot of shots I usually don’t miss lately,” he said. “It’s just conditioning, trying to adapt to the NBA game. But I’d say my playmaking is where I’m most happy that I’ve been growing offensively. Having that ability to make plays without turning the ball over is something that I’m really proud of. But I really hope that I can continue to grow there.”

Wilson already has faced some of the best players in the league, and more are on tap, including rematches with the Celtics and Knicks and his first look at LeBron James and the 76ers. He said sharing the court with such stars is surreal, which must be an understatement for a 20-year-old.

“I’m just a kid, so having an opportunity to play in Madison Square and TD Garden, that’s never going to not feel crazy to me,” Wilson said. “I’ve wanted to do that my whole life. So every time I go into an arena, I’m going to play to the best of my ability. I’m always going to do that.”

Sounds like a certain someone also from North Carolina.