Caleb Wilson scores 23 in Boston, then takes the blame for the Bulls’ 1-5 start and says they ‘laid down’

Caleb Wilson put the Chicago Bulls‘ 1-5 start on his own shoulders on Friday, October 30, after a 125-111 loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The rookie led Chicago with 23 points and then told reporters that the poor opening week was mostly his fault, young player or not, and that he would own it.

It was an unusual message from a 20-year-old six games into his NBA career, and it came on a night when his own numbers were among the few things that went right for Chicago. Wilson made 6 of his 11 three-point attempts, finished with five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in 31 minutes, and still walked off on the wrong end of a double-digit score for the third time this season.

“I’m never going to accept being a loser,” Wilson said in his postgame interview with the Bulls’ television network, adding that he had never been one at any level and that leading this team is his job.

“I’ve never been a loser in my whole life, so I’m going to try my best to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’m never going to accept being a loser.”

Caleb Wilson following the Bulls’ 125-111 loss to the Celtics tonight pic.twitter.com/1O1VAQMRYM

— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) October 31, 2026

A second blowout in Boston in five days

Friday was the NBA Cup group opener for both teams, and it looked a lot like Monday’s 134-99 loss on the same floor. Boston scored 44 points in the first quarter, led by as many as 32 and got 30 points off the bench from Payton Pritchard and 26 from Jayson Tatum. Chicago turned the ball over 16 times.

Wilson did not hide from what he saw. Speaking with reports, he questioned the group’s fight more than its talent. “I just feel like we laid down,” he said, describing a team that, in his view, lacked a competitive spirit once the Celtics pulled away. Playing hard, he argued, is the one advantage a roster this young can count on every night.

The rookie has been the constant

The fourth overall pick in June’s draft has scored at least 20 points in four of his six games and is averaging about 21 points and close to seven rebounds. His best night so far came against Washington on Saturday, October 24, when he had 30 points and 14 rebounds in a 124-120 loss. He added 21 in the win at Milwaukee the night before, which is still Chicago’s only victory under first-year coach Tiago Splitter.

The three-point shot is the newest part of his game. Wilson made only about a quarter of his threes in his one season at North Carolina and started his NBA career 4 of 23 from deep across his first three games, so a 6-for-11 night against one of the league’s better defenses was a real step.

The concern in Chicago is the gap between him and everything around him. The Bulls have lost five of six, three of them by 14 points or more, and own one of the worst point differentials in the league.

What comes next

Chicago has two days to regroup before visiting the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, November 2, at 7:30 p.m. ET (Game Center), then faces the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Wilson’s full game log and season numbers are on his player page.