While his story at North Carolina may be over, the next chapter for Caleb Wilson begins.
Wilson has been a projected lottery pick since the beginning of the season and as the season went along, became a bonafide top five pick. Even though he suffered a season-ending thumb injury in March, many analysts still have Wilson going in the top five.
According to a mock draft by Yahoo! Sports NBA insider Kevin O’Connor, Wilson is projected to be the fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft, selected by the Sacramento Kings. If he is drafted at that spot, he would be the highest draft pick from UNC since Coby White went seventh overall to the Chicago Bulls in 2019.
Here is what O’Connor had to say:
Wilson is arguably the most gifted athlete in the draft class. He’s 6-10 with springs for legs, and when he’s flying above the rim, finishing through contact and chasing down everything in his area code, he looks like a future cornerstone. That is why by the time the draft rolls around, some teams might favor him over Peterson. But the case against Wilson is pretty clear too. Despite all his positives, he hasn’t shown consistency as a shooter at any level. Then a broken left hand in February and a fractured right thumb in March ended his season before he could prove himself on the biggest stage. If the Kings were to draft him, it’s a gamble that he’s a higher upside player because of his size. But he’s raw and it might take a while to find out what he’ll become.
Wilson was one of the best players in college basketball before his season-ending injury. He led UNC in scoring at 19.8 points per game and rebounding at 9.4 per game. He also averaged 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks, both team highs. Wilson recorded 17 20-point games, the most by a freshman in program history, and 11 double-doubles, tied for the second most by a freshman in program history.His best game was his breakout performance against Kansas on Nov. 7.
With ESPN broadcasting in prime time and potential No. 1 overall pick Darryn Peterson also on the floor, Wilson tallied 24 points on 9-for-11 shooting with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in an 87-74 victory over the Jayhawks
