North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson might not be the favorite to be the first overall pick of the NBA Draft, but the star college player is certain that he has what it takes to transform a professional team. According to him, it’s not much different from what he has already done.
Speaking at a press panel during the NBA Combine, Wilson made the following bold statement about what he believes will be his impact with the pros:
“I will change your franchise, your culture, your program, your city. I did that at North Carolina. Whatever franchise chooses to draft me, knows they’re going to get a winner, knows they’re going to get a leader, knows they’re going to get a culture changer,”
Caleb Wilson is considered a top-five prospect for the 2026 NBA Draft. He’s expected to be selected between the No. 3 and 4 picks of the event later this year. The North Carolina Tar Heel is coming from his sole season at the college level, where, despite injuries, he earned Second Team Consensus All-American, First Team All-ACC, and ACC All-Rookie team honors during 2025-26.
Jay Williams believes Caleb Wilson should be the first overall pick of the NBA Draft
Speaking on ESPN’s “Get Up” this Monday, analyst Jay Williams shared an unexpected opinion. According to him, Caleb Wilson should be the first overall pick of this year’s draft, although he will most likely not be, and the realization will only come in retrospect.
Here’s what Williams said to his fellow panelists:
“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.”
He also went on to say that he didn’t initially believe so, but that with time, he has increased the stock that he puts on Caleb Wilson. He specifically compared him to Jermaine O’Neal as the base possible outcome, and Kevin Garnett as a ceiling for his development. Now, he said, the base could be Kevin Garnett, and the ceiling seems more like Giannis [Antetokounmpo] levels of development.
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