Caleb Wilson fulfilled his lifelong dream by making his NBA debut on Wednesday, but the night didn’t go according to plan. The Toronto Raptors crushed Wilson’s Chicago Bulls 135-92 at Scotiabank Arena, and the rookie unfortunately ended up making unwanted NBA history.

According to Underdog NBA on X, Wilson set a new record for the worst plus-minus in a player’s debut.

1. Caleb Wilson: -45

2. Jalen Green: -37

3. Amen Thompson: -34

Jalen Green and Amen Thompson had occupied the top two spots, and they were both playing for the Houston Rockets at the time.

Green was a -37 in the Rockets’ 124-106 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 20, 2021. He put up nine points (4-14 FG), four rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 32 minutes.

Thompson was a -34 off the bench in the Rockets’ 116-86 loss to the Orlando Magic on Oct. 25, 2023. He had eight points (3-10 FG), five rebounds, and two assists in 21 minutes.

Green and Thompson got some brutal “Welcome to the NBA” moments, as did Wilson. The 20-year-old posted his -45 plus-minus in 32 minutes against the Raptors. It was a rough introduction to the pros.

Wilson, the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, finished with 16 points (7-21 FG), four rebounds, three steals, and one block against the Raptors. To go with that poor shooting display, he also had nine turnovers.

Wilson repeatedly dribbled into traffic, not the smartest idea against a great defensive team like the Raptors, who have the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes. The former UNC star was a bit reckless, and he reflected on his debut postgame.

“I feel like watching film, I learned a lot from it, but also just seeing the fact that I think I had so many turnovers today,” Wilson said, via Bulls on CHSN. “But just because the lanes were so tight, because the hands are there. So that’s just something I have to learn from and just making sure I’m moving sharper. But everything was just more congested, and that’s just something you can see and learn from.

“I just couldn’t get any shots,” Wilson continued. “I mean, I tried to drive a lot of closeouts. I was able to get to the lane and get them out, but I just couldn’t hit anything. I don’t feel like that’s going to be a consistent thing. So it’s just something to move on to the next game about.

“I mean, I feel like some of the turnovers that I had were like just not catching the ball, just miscommunication sometimes, and then also just knowing my position on the court,” Wilson added. “I had one out-of-bounds turnover, too. So I mean, I just feel like it’s all a learning lesson. Never too high, never too low.”

That is the right mindset as a rookie. There are going to be plenty of difficult and great moments. The key is to stay level-headed and to try to improve day by day.

Wilson had been hailed as a potential combination of Kevin Durant and Kevin Garnett during the Summer League. He is incredibly talented, and we should see better play from him moving forward.

The Bulls actually face the lowly Milwaukee Bucks next at Fiserv Forum on Friday at 4:00 p.m. ET. The Bucks are expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA, and Wilson should find them a lot easier to play against than the Raptors.