Caleb Wilson Takes Responsibility for Chicago Bulls' Slow Start

The problems for the Chicago Bulls this season have extended far beyond Caleb Wilson. In fact, the No. 4 overall pick has been the least of Chicago's problems so far. But that hasn't stopped him from taking responsibility for them.

Through six games, the Bulls are 1-5, their worst start to a season since 2017-18. Chicago's last loss was a 125-111 defeat to the Celtics, in which the Bulls trailed by as many as 32 points in the first half.

The slow start isn't necessarily Wilson's fault — the 20-year-old has been one of the best and most reliable players on the team — but he took the blame following the loss to Boston.

"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," Wilson said. "I'm never going to accept being a loser. This is my job to be a leader on this team, so it's all gonna start with me. I know that, and it's partially, probably majority my fault that we started off the way we did, whether I'm the youngest guy on the team or not. I take ownership for that and it won't happen again."  

On the opening possession of Friday's game against the Celtics, Wilson got stuck behind a screen from Boston center Mitchell Robinson, allowing Jayson Tatum to get free underneath the basket. Two possessions later, Wilson allowed him to get behind him once again and score another easy layup.

By the end of the first quarter, the Bulls trailed, 44-25. The Celtics outscored Chicago in the paint, 24-10, and made two-thirds of their shots.

Wilson had the occasional defensive lapse, but his performance was also a major reason that the Bulls didn't lose by as many as they could've. In 31 minutes, Wilson totaled 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal. He made six of his 11 three-point shots, marking a significant shooting improvement from his first few games in the league.

On the season, Wilson leads the Bulls with 21.7 points per game, slightly surpassing Norman Powell's 20.7 points. He is also averaging 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 41.7% overall and 29.8% from three.

Chicago still has a gauntlet of a schedule coming up. After facing the Celtics twice and the Knicks — all of which resulted in a loss — the Bulls will play against the 76ers twice, the Knicks again, the Spurs, the Hawks, the Timberwolves and the Cavaliers.