Caleb Wilson points out a major Hubert Davis flaw that haunted UNC

The biggest question surrounding Caleb Wilson ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft this summer was whether the former UNC Tar Heel could stretch his shot-making to the three-point line. Nearly everything else in the 6-foot-10 forward’s game appeared to be NBA-ready, but he had gone just 7-27 from beyond the arc. 

Well, in his Vegas Summer League debut for the Chicago Bulls, which selected him at No. 4 overall in June, Wilson matched that total, knocking down seven of his 11 three-point attempts in a 35-point outing against Cameron Boozer’s Memphis Grizzlies. Though Chicago lost to Memphis, and Boozer played well with 26 points, six rebounds, and four assists, there is no way Bulls fans could come away from Friday night’s game feeling anything but great about their incoming rookie. 

There’s also almost no way UNC fans could be feeling worse- not about Wilson’s NBA prospects, but about their former head coach, Hubert Davis, especially after Wilson’s postgame comments. 

“I could shoot in college; it just wasn’t my role. I’m sure you guys watch CBB. We ran the Carolina break,” Wilson told the media postgame, explaining that his job was to “rim-run and get to the top of the key.” Adding, “nothing wrong with it, and I appreciate my coach for allowing me to do what I did in college; it’s no hard feelings.” 

If Caleb Wilson could always shoot, he should have been shooting at UNC

Wilson is supremely confident in his game. That’s one of the first things Tar Heels fans fell in love with when he arrived in Chapel Hill. So, maybe he’s overselling his shooting ability a bit. In the same postgame scrum, he admitted that since leaving college, he’s begun a shooting regimen that includes taking 2,000-2,500 shots a day, something he didn’t have time for at UNC. 

“I didn’t really have time. Had to go to class. That’s what’s good about the NBA.” 

While UNC’s season left a lot to be desired, in many ways it is hard to argue that Wilson was somehow underutilized before his season-ending hand injury. He had the most 20-point games of a freshman in Tar Heels history and averaged 19.8 points a night on 57.2 percent shooting. Plus, seven-foot center Henri Veesaar was a 40 percent three-point shooter, so he largely handled ball-screen pick-and-pop actions or trailing threes in transition. 

Still, had Wilson stretched out to the three-point line more frequently, along with boosting Wilson's draft stock, it may have counterintuitively alleviated another issue: UNC’s lack of rim pressure. 

Aside from Wilson and Seth Trimble, UNC didn’t have anyone who could penetrate a defense and consistently finish at the rim. Even when four-star freshman Derek Dixon replaced high-priced transfer Kyan Evans at point guard, his game was still primarily perimeter-centric. Had Wilson provided UNC with more five-out looks, even with three bigs playing alongside Veessar and Jarin Stevenson, it could have created more seams for Dixon, Trimble, or even Stevenson to attack. 

For Wilson, he’s probably right about not ending up in Chicago if he had showcased that level of range. 

Caleb Wilson’s new three-point shot already answers his biggest NBA question

Coming into the draft, the most pessimistic view of Wilson in the NBA was that he’s not long or stout enough to play substantial minutes at the five, even in small-ball lineups, but without a three-point shot, he’s not capable of slotting in at the three either. So, he’d be siloed into a role as a four-only, and one who needs to play next to a rim-protecting center with three-point range, as he had at UNC with Veesaar. 

A reliable three-point shot, especially off the dribble and off movement, as he showcased on Friday night, changes all of that. Now, he can play as a small forward, even logging a large number of possessions as the primary on-ball initiator. And while much of his game is still going to come out of the mid-post or off the short-roll, he can be a No. 1 offense option if he’s hitting step-back threes with regularity. 

It makes his pre-draft comparison to Kawhi Leonard, rather than the popular comp to Kevin Garnett, start to make more sense. 

In that case, even the few who legitimately question his defense can see a clear path to Wilson becoming an All-NBA player. And there aren’t many evaluators questioning that. 

A three-point shot unlocks everything for Wilson. Most hoped he’d have it by Year 3 or 4. It might already be here, and that will make the Rookie of the Year race with Boozer, Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa also impressing in Summer League, that much more interesting.

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