Tiago Splitter Calls Out Caleb Wilson for Effort in Massive Blowout Losses

Tiago Splitter issued a direct challenge to rookie Caleb Wilson after the Chicago Bulls were blown out 135-105 by the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

The first-year head coach said he expects Wilson to keep playing hard regardless of the score.

"The game is long, I try to put myself in their shoes," Splitter told reporters, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic.

"Caleb probably never been in these situations in his life."

"He's always been on the winning side."

"Now you gotta be resilient and play hard even when down 20, 30, 40."

"Doesn't matter."

The Bulls fell to 1-7 with the loss, their worst start in years.

Wilson finished with 5 points on 5-for-15 shooting, including 1-for-7 from three-point range.

Splitter benched the rookie midway through the third quarter and did not put him back in.

The coach cited Wilson's body language and effort on both ends as reasons for the decision.

"You got to be more resilient," Splitter said.

Wilson acknowledged the struggle after the game.

"It's never been like this for me, but I've just got to figure out a way through it," Wilson admitted.

"Never been through this my whole life."

Before his season-ending hand surgery as a freshman at North Carolina, Wilson helped the Tar Heels to a 19-5 record.

UNC suffered only one two-game losing streak during that stretch.

As a senior at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School, Wilson led the program to its first Georgia state championship with a 27-4 record.

He scored 33 points in the title game.

By the time the Bulls play Atlanta next week, Wilson could face his 10th loss in 11 games.

That would be more losses than he experienced in his previous two years of basketball combined.

Wilson also expressed frustration about his role in the offense.

"It's kind of difficult out there right now because some games it's hard for me to get touches and things like that so I have to kind of figure out other ways to affect the game," Wilson said.

"It's hard to catch a rhythm that way but I'll figure it out."

Veteran teammate Norman Powell pulled Wilson aside in the locker room after the loss.

Powell gave Wilson tips and reminded him to keep his head up.

Despite the team's struggles, Wilson has put up strong numbers overall.

Through eight games, he is averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.

He is shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from three.

NBA.com ranks Wilson fourth on the rookie ladder, behind Cameron Boozer, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Darius Acuff Jr.

The Bulls selected Wilson with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after his lone season at North Carolina.