NBA analyst Tim Legler is bullish on UNC star Caleb Wilson’s upside in the NBA. After his impressive season with the North Carolina Tar Heels, Wilson declared for the draft and is rated by many as a top-five prospect.
With a wingspan of 7 feet, the 6-foot-10 big man averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds,
2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game in his freshman season. His season ended prematurely with a right thumb injury.
Speaking about the Tar Heels standout on the Ringer, Legler broke down Wilson’s playing style and explained why he is a “huge fan of his upside.”
“I’m excited about Caleb Wilson,” Legler said. “There’s a lot of things I watch with him and he’s got that eyes-pop factor. You’re like, holy hell. And so now you look at the way the league is set up and some of the spacing that exists in that league and a guy that’s got this kind of just explosive power.”
While Legler acknowledged Wilson’s ball-handling and shooting need improvement, he says they can be worked upon.
“You want to tighten up his handle. You want to tighten up his shooting, particularly shooting off the dribble,” Legler continued. “I do think those are things that can be tightened up. It’s not like for that, you either have it now or you don’t. That’s not the case. Guys add that stuff all the time in their first three, four years of their career.”
According to Legler, Wilson’s ability around the rim makes him a standout athlete as he could do a lot of damage in the paint on both sides of the floor. The analyst says such ability is innate.
“What I’m talking about, that stuff where he explodes off the floor like that, that is something you either have it or you don’t,” Legler added. “And he’s got it. You’re not adding that later, not that degree of pop. And that’s what he’s got off the floor. And it blows you away because you’re picturing him in any sort of open-floor situation or even offensive rebounding situations. If he gets a step on a guy, that is what big-time explosive finishing ability looks like at the NBA level.”
Legler’s high praise for Wilson is not uncommon. Several other analysts also see the long-term potential in him, and that’s why he is rated so highly on the draft boards.
Caleb Wilson Pitches His Profile For NBA Draft
Caleb Wilson is projected to go fourth overall to the Chicago Bulls after the likes of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer are picked. In an exclusive interview with Forbes on Thursday, the UNC product shared his thoughts on the top five draft projections. He is content and strives to do well for the franchise that drafts him.
“I deserve to be whatever I’m picked, that’s kind of how I feel,” Wilson said. “Whatever franchise chooses to draft me, I’m going to impact their franchise very positively. I’ll be a piece of a very good franchise and a winning franchise no matter who I go to because of my impact. I feel like, if you draft me, you’ll get a winner, you’ll get someone who impacts your culture positively. So if that’s worth whatever pick I’m picked, I’ll be excited.”
On his draft projections tying him to the Bulls, Wilson showed his excitement for the Windy City.
“I would be really excited to land there,” Wilson said. “I feel like I would bring a lot to their team, a lot of energy and charisma. Also, I feel like I would be a leader, and that’s something I would bring to whatever team drafts me. And I would be as excited as I can be to be drafted by any team in the NBA because it’s always been a dream of mine.”
Wilson is preparing in Los Angeles after breaking his thumb in March. Without him, the Tar Heels suffered a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament at the hands of VCU. Now, after a great Combine, he looks forward to hearing his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
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