I genuinely think North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson has an incredible opportunity to be one of the best players in the NBA at some point throughout his career.
I don't want to put those expectations on him as a rookie, as they're nearly impossible to fulfill, but he has all the tools to be a really good player, and if that jump shot develops the way that I expect it to, considering how hard he works, I do think the sky is the limit.
However, I also think it was a bit ridiculous that Jay Williams made the comments he did.
For Williams to come out and suggest that any player is going to be as good as Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Garnett is just outrageous.
Even if Wilson ends up being that guy, to say that a kid who played one season of college basketball can be an all-time great like those two just isn't realistic.
Even if Wilson eventually reaches that status, it doesn't mean Williams was right in his assessment. This is throwing a dart at the board and hoping that it sticks.
"Caleb Wilson to me, in 10 years from now, when we re-draft this class, we could be talking about he should have been the first [player] taken in this draft," Williams said. "I think his upside is limitless. He's a guy that showed he can play with the basketball - put the ball on the ground - and that shot-making ability is what is going to propel him in the draft.”
"Caleb Wilson, watching him work out, has shown the ability to put the ball down on the ground," Williams elaborated. "By the way, when I first saw him this year, the bar is Jermaine O'Neal, the ceiling, Kevin Garnett. Now, when I watch him play, the bar seems like Kevin Garnett, the ceiling seems more like Giannis [Antetokounmpo]."
Saying the bar seems like a Hall of Famer is just outrageous. Again, I understand what Williams is trying to say here, but he could have said it a lot differently.
Had he just come out and said that he really likes Wilson as a player and thinks he has the tools to be an all-time great one day, that's completely different, but comparing him to some of the best players that we've ever seen step on a court should be viewed just as ridiculous as everybody thinks it was when he made those comments earlier in the week.