North Carolina Tar Heels star Caleb Wilson isn't getting enough attention.
North Carolina Tar Heels star Caleb Wilson didn't play at all for the last month-and-a-half of the college basketball campaign due to multiple injuries that ultimately sidelined him for the season.
First, Wilson suffered a fractured wrist in February. Then, when he was making his way back leading up to March Madness, Wilson sustained a thumb injury during practice, which officially ended his campaign.
Now, the 19-year-old if focusing solely on the NBA Draft, especially after watching his team get eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
The general consensus has long been that Wilson will be a top four or five pick in the draft this summer, with Kansas' Darryn Peterson, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke's Cameron Boozer all consistently ranked ahead of him.
But is it possible Wilson could leapfrog all of those players and end up being the top overall selection?
While no one will go that far just yet, it stands to reason that the North Carolina product could ultimately be the best player in this year's class.
Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks over 31.3 minutes per game while shooting 57.8 percent from the floor this season, very impressive numbers for a freshman.
Caleb Wilson. Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images.The wiry 6-foot-10 big man possesses tremendous two-way potential thanks to his length and athleticism, and while he is still very raw, it's clear that he has a chance to be an elite draft choice.
Wilson still needs to work on his perimeter shot (he made just 25.9 percent of his three-point attempts in 2025-26), and while his defensive ceiling is very high, he must develop more consistency on that end of the floor.
But there is no doubt that Wilson fits the mold of what NBA teams typically look for in a big man in this modern basketball landscape, and it's easy to see plenty of clubs viewing him as a superior prospect to Boozer, for example.
Boozer, to me, doesn't look like he will become anything more than a decent box-score guy in today's game. He is certainly gifted offensively, but his defensive shortcomings are very clear. If you were an NBA general manager, whose ceiling would you prefer? Wilson's, or Boozer's?
It's very easy to see Kevin Garnett in Wilson, whereas Boozer looks like ... well, Carlos Boozer. Good player, but nothing extraordinary.
Peterson and Dybantsa both have their own drawbacks themselves, which is why I genuinely believe that Wilson could be the top talent overall this June.
It might sound wild to say, but I feel that Wilson has actually become underrated, and whoever doesn't select him early in the draft may have to live with deep regret.
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