Caleb Wilson didn’t just calm one of the biggest questions about his NBA future on Friday night. He blew it wide open.
The former UNC forward, picked No. 4 overall by the Chicago Bulls in June, came into the summer with one obvious concern hanging over him: could he really extend his scoring to the three-point line? At North Carolina, the answer was murky. He went 7-for-27 from deep, and that number fed the debate about whether his shot was ready for the next level.
Then came his Vegas Summer League debut.
Against Cameron Boozer’s Memphis Grizzlies, Wilson buried seven of 11 from beyond the arc and poured in 35 points. Chicago lost, and Boozer turned in a strong line of his own with 26 points, six rebounds and four assists, but the night still belonged to Wilson.
Bulls fans walked away with a jolt of excitement about their rookie. UNC fans, meanwhile, had a different reaction entirely.
That was because of what Wilson said afterward.
“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.”
He doubled down on that point in the same setting:
“I could shoot in college, it just wasn’t my role. I’m sure you guys watch CBB. We ran the Carolina break.
“I’m glad I didn’t shoot in college, because if I did, I wouldn’t be here. I don’t think I’d be a Bull.”
That’s the part that lands hardest for Tar Heels fans, because it puts Hubert Davis right in the middle of the conversation. If Wilson really had that kind of range all along, then UNC never fully let it breathe.
To be fair, Wilson’s confidence has never been in short supply. That was part of the appeal when he got to Chapel Hill. And he did offer one more detail that helps explain the leap he’s making now: since leaving college, he’s been taking 2,000-2,500 shots a day.
“I didn’t really have time. Had to go to class. That’s what’s good about the NBA.”
UNC’s season had plenty of rough edges, but Wilson himself was not one of them. Before a season-ending hand injury, he was the most prolific freshman scorer in Tar Heels history in terms of 20-point games and averaged 19.8 points on 57.2 percent shooting. Henri Veesaar, a seven-foot center and 40 percent three-point shooter, already handled the pick-and-pop and trailing-threes work, which helped shape the offense around him.
Still, there’s a case that Wilson showing more range would have helped UNC in more ways than one. It would have boosted his draft stock, sure. But it also might have opened up the floor in a way the Tar Heels badly needed.
UNC didn’t have many players who could consistently get downhill and finish at the rim. Outside of Wilson and Seth Trimble, that pressure just wasn’t there.
Even when four-star freshman Derek Dixon took over for high-priced transfer Kyan Evans at point guard, his game stayed mostly on the perimeter. More five-out spacing from Wilson could have created cleaner driving lanes for Dixon, Trimble and even Jarin Stevenson, especially with three bigs on the floor alongside Veesaar.
That’s why Wilson’s breakout in Las Vegas matters beyond the box score. The most skeptical NBA read on him was simple: not big enough to live at the five, not a shooter enough to play the three, and therefore stuck as a four who needed a rim-protecting, floor-spacing center next to him, the way he had at UNC with Veesaar.
Now that picture looks very different.
A real three-point threat, especially one who can hit off the dribble and off movement like he did Friday, gives him a path to the wing and even to primary on-ball work. His game will still lean on the mid-post and the short roll, but if the threes keep falling, he can be more than a complementary piece. He can be a top option.
That’s also why the Kawhi Leonard comparison starts to make more sense than the Kevin Garnett label that has followed him around.
And if that shot is real, then even the people who have questions about his defense can see the outline of a future All-NBA player. Not many are doubting that part anyway.
For Wilson, the three-ball changes everything. Plenty of people figured it might show up by Year 3 or 4.
It may already be here. And if that’s the case, the Rookie of the Year race just got a lot more interesting with Boozer, Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa also turning heads in Summer League.
In Other News...
UNC Draft Day Just Delivered Bigger Validation Than Tar Heels Fans Expected
North Carolinas baseball program spent the first day of the 2026 MLB Draft turning a strong season into a louder national statement. Several Tar Heels came off the board in quick succession, with Schaffner going 20th overall, Hull following at 67th, DeCaro at 80th and Lynch at 97th, a run that underscored how much talent was packed into Chapel Hill this spring.
For UNC, the bigger takeaway is not just the number of players selected, but the range of interest they drew from across the league. Boston accounted for two of the early picks, while Pittsburgh and San Diego joined in on the Tar Heels haul, and the night may not even be finished for Carolina yet, with more names still in play as the draft moves into later rounds. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Summer League Is Raising One Big Concern About The Pipeline
Las Vegas Summer League has given UNC fans a little of everything from the programs recent pipeline, from promising flashes to the kind of uneven stretches that make this stage so revealing. Henri Veesaar opened with a productive night, Drake Powell has been trying to find his footing, Caleb Wilson has been working through a spotlight that follows every top prospect, and former Tar Heels like Cormac Ryan, Pete Nance, Tyler Nickel and RJ Davis have each had their own moments in the mix.
What makes the whole exercise worth watching is how quickly the performances can sharpen the conversation around where UNC is sending players next. Some of these outings have looked encouraging enough to reinforce the Tar Heels development track, while others have raised questions about how ready certain pieces are for the next level. With more games still on the schedule in Las Vegas, there is still time for the picture to change, but the early returns have already made one part of the pipeline look a lot more uncertain than the rest. [Read more 🡒]