The North Carolina Tar Heels suffered a major blow on Friday when it was announced that star freshman Caleb Wilson would miss the remainder of the season due to a thumb injury, as per Shams Charania of ESPN. Wilson has been among a very talented freshman class, and has been projected to be a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The injury occurred during a recent non-contact drill during North Carolina practice, and Caleb Wilson will undergo surgery. His recovery period is expected to be done by the time the pre-draft process begins. Wilson had been sidelined due to said injury since Feb. 10.
While other standout freshman such as BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and even Duke’s Cameron Boozer have made claims as the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Wilson could be among that mix as well when the team with the top pick is on the clock.
He has appeared in 24 games this season at a little over 31 minutes per game. He had been averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocked shots with splits of 57.8 percent shooting from the field, 25.9 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 71.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Aside from the aforementioned names, this particular freshman class has been among the best in recent memory. While they might not be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick, players such as Houston’s Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr., Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., Tennesee’s Nate Ament, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., and Arizona’s Brayden Burries and Koa Peat are all expected to be one-and-done and selected in the first round.
