The Tar Heels are loading up for another big NBA Draft night—and this time, it's all about the frontcourt. North Carolina stars Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar are both projected as first-round selections, with Wilson drawing serious top-five buzz.
When these two shared the floor, they formed arguably the most dominant frontcourt duo in the country, not just the ACC. Wilson, despite missing the final nine games of the season due to injury, still earned All-America and first-team All-ACC honors. He led the Tar Heels with 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, shattering the program's freshman record for most 20-point games—a mark previously held by none other than Tyler Hansbrough.
Veesaar, meanwhile, earned second-team All-ACC recognition after posting 16.3 points per game on an incredibly efficient 61.4% from the field and 41.5% from deep. He also pulled down 8.4 rebounds per contest, proving he's more than just a paint presence.
According to multiple draft experts, including USA TODAY Sports' Bryan Kalbrosky, Wilson is projected to go No. 3 overall behind AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer. That would land him with the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that finished last in the Southwest Division at 25-57 and is hungry for a franchise cornerstone. Memphis has a reputation for thinking outside the box in the draft, favoring analytically strong prospects—and Wilson fits that mold perfectly. One general manager even told Jake Fischer that "every team" would take Wilson over Dybantsa, Boozer, or Darryn Peterson. The Grizzlies might be one of them.
Wilson's broken thumb, which kept him out of the NCAA Tournament, didn't hurt his stock at all. He also played through a hand fracture earlier in the season, and his résumé speaks for itself. Before the injury, Bart Torvik noted that Wilson led the nation with 67 dunks and was the only player under 20 to hit specific thresholds for block, steal, and defensive rebound percentage. That kind of two-way production is hard to ignore.
As for Veesaar, he's projected to go late in the first round—a testament to his versatility and growth. With both players set to hear their names called early, it's clear that Chapel Hill's pipeline to the NBA is as strong as ever.