Caleb Wilson’s first NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas came with more than a box score attached to it. For the former North Carolina forward, Friday night marked the end of a five-month stretch that clearly weighed on him, and he didn’t hide how heavy it had been.
Wilson said he cried before making his Summer League debut, and the reason had nothing to do with the moment being too big. It was the way his lone season at UNC ended - a season interrupted after February 10 by injuries that kept him off the floor the rest of the way.
“It’s been 5 months to the day since the last time I played … I felt terrible because my team lost in the tournament, and my coach got fired. It just was a lot for me.”
That quote landed with real force because Wilson wasn’t just talking about missing games. He was talking about carrying the weight of North Carolina’s finish, and the fallout that followed. The Tar Heels lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after Wilson was sidelined, and his words made it sound like he has taken that ending personally.
He also made it clear just how much the injury cost him. Wilson said he was unable to play in North Carolina’s regular-season finale against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and he used that moment as motivation. Ahead of Friday night’s game, the background on his phone was an image of him walking into Cameron Indoor Stadium with a wrist brace.
That detail says plenty about where his head has been. Wilson has been leaning on reminders of what he missed, even as he worked toward getting back on the court.
The emotion in his comments showed how hard he has been on himself since the season ended. At 19, he’s shouldering a lot, especially since injuries are not something he could control. Still, the combination of being sidelined, watching UNC’s season end early, and then seeing Hubert Davis get fired clearly hit him hard.
Now, after five months away from the game, Wilson is finally back doing what he loves. The burden from the last few months isn’t going to disappear overnight, but his professional career has started, and the experience he just went through figures to stay with him for a long time.
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