UNC's Caleb Wilson gets good NBA Draft news after injury; Jazz, Kings paying attention originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Caleb Wilson didn't get to finish his freshman season with the North Carolina Tar Heels due to injury.
His college career with UNC is over now as he looks toward the NBA Draft, and there's some good news: That injury isn't expected to hold him back.
"Wilson's pair of hand injuries didn't impact his standing on draft boards, with lottery teams continuing to debate internally how he projects relative to the other top prospects, particularly the more polished but less physically gifted Boozer," ESPN's Jeremy Woo wrote in a new article on Tuesday. "He will have an opportunity to make his case in predraft workouts, where his athletic gifts should stand out, and teams will want to better assess his skill level and shooting."
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Woo currently projects Wilson to go at No. 4 overall to the Utah Jazz.
The Sacramento Kings, who Woo has picking fifth, would also be paying close attention to what happens with Wilson in the lead up to the draft.
"Utah won a draft tiebreak with Sacramento, meaning its 1-8 protected pick can't fall further than No. 8 -- extinguishing the Jazz's obligation to the Thunder," Woo writes. "They don't control their own pick in 2027 and should be thinking best-available prospect here, with Wilson making sense as a long-term centerpiece, even with the addition of Jaren Jackson Jr. to strengthen their frontcourt at the deadline."
Wilson showed a variety of skills at UNC beyond just his athletic scoring and rebounding. He began to prove he could be a playmaker, too.
His outside shot will at least partially determine his upside, but even if that doesn't fully come around, Wilson is ready to contribute in a big way when he steps into the NBA.
Sure, no one got to see how his college career may have ended. But he's definitely ready for the next level.
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