Don't look now, but the 2026 NBA Draft is less than two weeks away (June 23 & 24). And for all of the hype that has accompanied the top of this draft, one name has been sparse in media coverage so far - Caleb Wilson, formerly of North Carolina.
The six-foot-10, 215-pound pogo stick, athletic as they come, is slotted at 4th overall in many mock drafts, to the Chicago Bulls. Which would be a fine landing place for Wilson, but it may not be his destination. There hasn't been a lot of hype thus far about him, but there's been a lot about AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and even Keaton Wagler and Darius Acuff, Jr. in the pre-draft process.
While many expect the Utah Jazz to pick between Peterson and Boozer, it's not unheard of to think they could secretly crave adding Caleb Wilson to their frontcourt, even with Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and Walker Kessler seemingly set as the starting three for 2026-27.
Having a strong second unit, on affordable contracts, will be key for the Utah Jazz moving forward, as they are likely going to be in the luxury tax once they sign Walker Kessler AND extend Keyonte George.
And Wilson is already a good shot blocker, a skill that the Jazz need on this roster, which none of the other top picks can lay a claim to currently.
Danny Ainge has played this game before
As the man in charge of the Boston Celtics front office, Danny Ainge had a golden opportunity in the 2017 NBA Draft - the first overall pick.
Knowing that the hype about Markelle Fultz was overblown, and that a team (Philadelphia) was interested, he convinced the Sixers to trade up and took the third pick in return, along with a future first-rounder. That third pick, Jayson Tatum, proved to be the best player in a draft with star players like Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen, Bam Adebayo, and De'Aaron Fox.
One could argue that, like the 2017 hype about Markelle Fultz, the 2026 hype about AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson is a bit too high.
If the hype goes big enough and long enough, Ainge knows better than to shut it down - let things take their course, especially if people aren't talking about someone he might be VERY interested in.
This is where Caleb Wilson comes into play for Utah. He's athletic and skilled, and you can't have too many guys like that on a roster. He averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 boards, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks a night at UNC.
His biggest weaknesses? He needs more bulk (215 pounds) and to improve his shooting from deep (25.9%). Both are correctable with good coaching, like we saw Ace Bailey get this year, which would be key to correcting those deficiencies.
Imagine Wilson, Kyle Filipowski, and Ace Bailey as a frontcourt (all six-foot-10 and above), giving opponents' second units all the trouble they can handle. Flip and Bailey can shoot it from deep, allowing Wilson to be the de facto center, getting all the rebounds and blocking shots.
It's why Wilson may be the sneaky pick that nobody saw the Jazz making.
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