When it comes to elite talents like Caleb Wilson, the world wants to know how many points he scored or how many highlight-reel dunks he threw down in his latest performance.
While those things are nice, they don't fully tell the tale of just how impactful the five-star freshman is when he's on the court on both ends of the floor.
In his UNC basketball debut, Wilson led the Tar Heels with 22 points, becoming just the fifth player in program history to score 20 or more points in their team debut. He added four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block, putting together an overall impressive debut in just 25 minutes of game action.
Even though he has just one college game under his belt, Wilson plays the game like an experienced veteran, having the ability to make winning plays while adjusting to different situations that are thrown his way.
The clip below is a perfect example of Wilson making a play that not many others could emulate. Working in a pick-and-roll setting, Wilson receives a lob pass from Kyan Evans and quickly notices the double-team coming.
You know what they say: if two guys are guarding you, someone has to be open. Well, Wilson used his court vision to find that open player, and while Seth Trimble missed the contest layup off the feed, Henri Veesaar was right by the basket to clean up the board for an easy put back.
If Caleb Wilson continues to make reads out of sets on the fly like this, I really don’t know how you couldn’t slot him out of Top 5. pic.twitter.com/isDz2wCNmL
— jj (@netsful) November 4, 2025
A play like that won't show up on Wilson's stat line. In fact, it probably won't be featured on his season highlight reel either.
Regardless of that, Wilson continues to prove that he's much more than a typical scoring threat: this is a guy that can do just about anything on the court.
Playing elite defense, hustling for loose balls, using his size to grab rebounds, finding his open teammates to help move the ball more effectively: notice how his scoring ability (which is an elite skill he features) wasn't headlined among all those various skill sets?
It's not a coincidence why Wilson was regarded as a five-star talent and a McDonald's All-American out of high school. If he continues to be a winning player (as he did in the season opener) it won't be shocking if he ends up being a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The next time you watch the UNC basketball program compete, pay close attention to how Wilson operates on both ends of the floor. You'll quickly start to realize that he is an all-around elite talent, arguably the best true freshman that the program has had in quite some time.
If Wilson can continue playing at this level, there's no telling how far this team can go come March.