Can Caleb Wilson Be a Top-3 Pick? Here's What Our Latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft Says

Scouts had been anticipating a special 2026 NBA draft for years now. Caleb Wilson has made the class look even stronger, despite his season being cut short by injuries.

While AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson have been the catalysts behind the hype—and the top 3 in our Mock Draft—some scouts have referred to a Big Four tier that includes Wilson.

He finished his freshman season shooting 57.8 percent and averaging 19.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks. Incredible production, tools and athleticism, plus consistent flashes of budding skill, have turned Wilson into a top-five lock and potential dark horse to crack the top three.

Essential Facts and Stats

College: North Carolina | Position: PF | Height: 6'10" | Weight: 215 lbs | Age: 18 | PPG: 19.8 | RPG: 9.4 | APG: 2.7 | BPG: 1.4 | SPG: 1.4 | FG%: 57.8 | 3PT%: 25.9

Latest Mock Position

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No. 4

Realistic Draft Range: Top 5

Caleb Wilson moved up to No. 4 early in the season, and he hasn't budged from that spot since. Steady from start to final injury, his athleticism, effort, ball-handling ability and shotmaking skill consistently showed and helped generate easy baskets, post scoring and defensive plays.

The popular take suggests Wilson is the No. 1 consolation prize for lottery teams who don't land top three. The lack of shooting presumably keeps him at No. 4 for most teams, unless he's able to return from injury and blow teams away during workouts.

Realistic Pro Comparison: Blake Griffin

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Caleb Wilson shares Blake Griffin's advantageous athletic ability and two-point scoring skills.

With similar measurements, they generated highlights with explosive leaping that regularly led to high-percentage finishes. But Griffin became an All-Star forward because of his face-up and post games, rise-and-fire jumper and expanding playmaking. Wilson surprised scouts with his comfort level knocking down fallaways, initiating fast breaks and using footwork off the dribble.

Whether Wilson can burst through Griffin's ceiling will come down to how much his three-point development and defensive awareness improve.

Strengths

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Strength 1: Athleticism/physical tools

Wilson was leading the nation in dunks before going down. With long arms and bouncy leaping ability, he plays high above the rim for finishes. And the motor puts him in position more often to get those easy-basket opportunities.

His movement at 6'0" also creates exciting defensive playmaking ability.

Strength 2: Two-point shotmaking

Though not the most creative isolation player, he has good footwork and body control when trying to separate into fallaway or mid-range jumpers. At his age, the fluidity he shows creating and making those shots outweighs the inconsistency.

Strength 3: Passing

Wilson averaged 2.7 assists, a good number for a big who isn't handling the ball often around the perimeter. He can make smart passing reads from within the offensive set and inside the defense.

Weaknesses

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Weakness 1: Long-range shooting

Wilson shot 7-of-26 from three and 2-of-9 on long twos. The mid-range shotmaking and confidence taking threes suggests he can improve, but remaining limited from deep will make him easier to guard and reduce his versatility.

Weakness 2: Finishing drives

Though capable of putting the ball down, he struggled to finish off his own creation. Gathering and going up off the dribble in traffic gave Wilson trouble. He converted just 35.4 percent of his drives.

Weakness 3: Half-court ball-handling

NBA teams have recently been drawn to playmaking wings and bigs. That's not Wilson, who isn't a major threat to shake off the dribble in the half court. He received just two pick-and-roll ball-handling possessions all year.