NBA Draft: Can North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson Crack the Top-Three?

Saturday featured one of the best NBA Draft matchups of the season, with Duke’s Cameron Boozer facing off against North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson.

It was a battle of opposite styles, with the process-driven Blue Devil facing off against the uniquely athletic Tar Heel. Ultimately, it was Wilson’s squad that was able to come away with the 71-68 win on a buzzer-beating shot.

For as good as other 2026 NBA Draft hopefuls were in the tilt, Wilson was dominant.

He finished with a team-high 23 points, hitting 8 of his 12 shots and adding four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. He made one of his two triples attempted, and got to the line plenty, hitting all six of his free throw tries.

Duke came out of the gate much faster, jumping out to a double-digit lead. Wilson’s limited creation ability was on display at times, but that didn’t stop his dominance, and he was able to showcase his increasingly dangerous mid-range game. He hit turn-around jumpers, saw a ridiculous step-through floater go down, and played stingy defense against one of the best teams in the country.

He was vital to willing North Carolina back into the game, maintaining aggressiveness in scoring, while also moving the ball and making winning plays time and again.

Yet again, Wilson looked like the best player on a court that featured who is likely to be a top-three pick in Boozer. Back in early-November, Wilson showed out with 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals against Darryn Peterson's Jayhawks, grabbing a 13-point win in the process.

Wilson's season-long dominance, and more specifically his play against fellow draft standouts, begs the question: can he break into the long-solidified top-three of Boozer, Peterson and AJ Dybantsa?

It's a tough question to answer without an inside track, but there's certainly going to be potential for Wilson to go higher than No. 4. To this point, Wilson’s draft position is likely to remain team-dependent. Organizations that’s value athleticism and a potentially higher ceiling could see Wilson as an upside play. Others looking to swing on a more connective, high-floor player that can contribute right away will look to Boozer.

It's tough to envision Wilson as a pick over Dybantsa or Peterson given their comfortability on the perimeter, though he's showing real improvement over the course of his season that could allude to later growth.

For now, the odds are likely to say that Wilson will be picked fourth, but that's no slight in the most loaded NBA Draft we've seen in some time.

NBA scouts and decision-makers will continue to monitor Wilson this season as the Tar Heels churn through ACC play and into the NCAA Tournament. They’re currently riding a five-game win-streak, and will face No. 24 Louisville, No. 20 Clemson and Duke again to end the season.