North Carolina Tar Heels star Caleb Wilson has received some significant NBA Draft intel from a pro scout.
We unfortunately did not get to see Caleb Wilson suit up for the North Carolina Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament, as a couple of different injuries — first a fractured hand and then a broken thumb — ended his season prematurely.
However, Wilson is still viewed as a top-four prospect in this year's NBA Draft class, and some feel that he could even end up in the top three when it's all said and done.
One Eastern Conference executive likened Wilson to Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, who has developed into a star in the pros.
"Caleb has been more productive and played harder in college than Jalen Johnson, who in college was more perimeter oriented," the exec said, via Jeremy Woo and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. "If you thought Cam [Boozer] is Al Horford or something like that, and you thought Caleb was like Jalen, then you could go Caleb."
I'm not seeing the Boozer-to-Horford comparison. Horford is far superior defensively. But the fact that some might prefer Wilson to Boozer may come as a surprise.
"I think he could easily go three," an East scout said. "I could see him being preferred to Boozer there."
Caleb Wilson. Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images.To be quite frank, Wilson does project as the prospect with the higher ceiling. While Boozer is incredibly gifted offensively, his defensive shortcomings could end up sabotaging his NBA career.
Meanwhile, Wilson has the potential to become an incredible two-way player and has even drawn comparisons to Kevin Garnett.
Wilson played in 24 games for North Carolina this season, averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks while shooting 57.8 percent from the floor.
The 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward is still incredibly raw and needs to work on his jump shot and his defensive consistency, but his ceiling is through the roof.
A legitimate argument can be made that Wilson has the highest ceiling of any prospect in this draft class, and considering there is no consensus No. 1 overall pick, I don't think that's a wild assertion.
While Boozer may be a pick based more on fit, Wilson seems like a player a team would select due to his sheer talent alone.
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