{"id":2007499,"date":"2026-06-24T00:31:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T21:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2007499"},"modified":"2026-06-24T00:31:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T21:31:34","slug":"chicago-bulls-select-caleb-wilson-with-the-no-4-pick-in-the-2026-nba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2007499","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bulls select Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p><i>The Athletic has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/live-blogs\/nba-draft-2026-live-updates-round-1-tracker-results-giannis-antetokounmpo\/NJNyRbgefCcT\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">live coverage<\/a> of the 2026 NBA Draft.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>The Chicago Bulls selected Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick on Tuesday in the 2026 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n<p>Wilson, who averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in a season truncated when he broken his right thumb in February, has a tremendous frame for the wing and forward positions. He measured at 6 feet 9.25 inches without shoes with a 7-foot-0.25 wingspan at the combine this year and has a 9-foot standing reach. He\u2019s also a twitchy athlete with serious explosiveness, even by NBA standards. He can consistently live with his head at the rim as a leaper, allowing him to finish just about everything at the basket with a dunk in college. Beyond just getting high off the ground, though, he also gets up quickly. This allows him to be very effective as a rebounder and as a finisher on the interior when he\u2019s dunking.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some scouts wonder whether Wilson will have the same level of success in the NBA, where he won\u2019t have the same degree of athletic advantage. He\u2019s also quite skinny, having come in at just 210 pounds at the combine for what were pretty massive measurements. The biggest issues with Wilson come on defense. He\u2019s very poor on that end despite the gaudy steal and block numbers.<\/p>\n<h2>Sam Vecenie\u2019s draft guide summary<\/h2>\n<div data-ath-video-stream=\"5x64mevqbo1geT1\">\n<div class=\"VideoHost_Root__QeM_i\">\n<div class=\"VideoHost_VideoWidth__XjNKI VideoHost_Portrait__XBaJC\">\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_Root__AGckL\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_Title__npf3B\">Caleb Wilson blends power, explosiveness and coordination in a way other players can\u2019t<\/div>\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_Authors__jxyYV\">Sam Vecenie<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"VideoTitleFrame_VideoWrapper__Xgp47\">{&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;VideoObject&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/video\/5x64mevqbo1geT1\/&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/video\/5x64mevqbo1geT1\/&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Caleb Wilson blends power, explosiveness and coordination in a way other players can&#8217;t&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;Ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft, Sam Vecenie breaks down what makes North Carolina&#8217;s Caleb Wilson stand out as a draft prospect.&#8221;,&#8221;uploadDate&#8221;:&#8221;2026-06-09T20:26:19.096Z&#8221;,&#8221;duration&#8221;:&#8221;PT2M28S&#8221;,&#8221;thumbnailUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/cdn-media.theathletic.com\/video-stream\/auto-thumbnail\/5x64mevqbo1geT1\/AFEMx61wapci.0000000.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;contentUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/video.nyt.com\/athletic\/streams\/5x64mevqbo1geT1\/AFEMx61wapci\/AFEMx61wapci.m3u8&#8243;,&#8221;transcript&#8221;:&#8221;North Carolina&#8217;s Caleb Wilson blends power, explosiveness, and coordination in a way that other players just can&#8217;t match. When you combine that with his motor on offense and his nose for the ball in the glass, it allowed him to be one of the most productive players in the 2026 NBA draft class. Here&#8217;s why Wilson is such an elite prospect. Up until breaking his hand in February, Wilson showcased throughout the season that he had the ability to get where he wanted on the court as a playmaking 4. He dominated statistically, averaging nearly 20 points. and 9 rebounds per game while shooting 58% from the field. North Carolina basically used him as a baby Giannis in terms of their scheme. Asking him to create plays in transition at the top of the key, and even at times in the mid-post to collapse defenses and score. On top of that, his personality is regarded by NBA teams to be infectious. Teams that have interviewed him, have loved getting to know him. Here are a couple of plays though that showcase what Wilson can do on the court. He&#8217;s already a monster in transition. Watch here how he pokes the ball away from Trey. On a drive, gets out on the break and finishes with authority. But more than that, look at how easily he gets up. He rises far above the rim at just about a 50% leap. Wilson has potential to be one of the best baseline players in the NBA at some point due to his leaping ability and power. He was lethal in high low situations with Henri Vasar this year. Watch how he sits in the dunker spot, recognizes that his man has gone up to help on the Vasar catch at the foul line, and Wilson just waits for the pass, catches and goes up quickly. To finish above the rim. Wilson is also a very comfortable shooter from the mid-range. Here, he catches an inbounds pass, clears out the left side of the court, navigates the dig from Nick Haminia, isolates against Malik Brown, gets him up in the air with that little up fake, and then drills the double clutch eighteen-footer. But then the next play down the court, Wilson catches in the same position against Brown. Instead of going baseline, he power dribbles to the middle, navigates the dig from Caden Boozer, and then Wilson uses the fact that he drilled that mid-range jump. For just a second ago against Brown. He again goes to that turnaround fadeaway, but he pump fakes this one and hits a sweet little step-through for the layup. Wilson reminds me a lot of Pascal Siaca in terms of the type of player that he can be with his terrific energy and elite athleticism early in his career. While he continues to develop that skill level that lets him weaponize his drives from the perimeter by the time he&#8217;s in his prime. Siaam has made multiple all NBA teams, so any organization picking Wilson in the top 4 would certainly take that.&#8221;,&#8221;ineligibleRegion&#8221;:[&#8220;BI&#8221;,&#8221;BY&#8221;,&#8221;CD&#8221;,&#8221;CF&#8221;,&#8221;CU&#8221;,&#8221;IQ&#8221;,&#8221;IR&#8221;,&#8221;KP&#8221;,&#8221;LB&#8221;,&#8221;LY&#8221;,&#8221;ML&#8221;,&#8221;NI&#8221;,&#8221;RU&#8221;,&#8221;SD&#8221;,&#8221;SO&#8221;,&#8221;SS&#8221;,&#8221;SY&#8221;,&#8221;UA&#8221;,&#8221;VE&#8221;,&#8221;YE&#8221;,&#8221;ZW&#8221;],&#8221;publisher&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;NewsMediaOrganization&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/#publisher&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;The Athletic&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/&#8221;,&#8221;foundingDate&#8221;:&#8221;2016-01-25&#8243;,&#8221;logo&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ImageObject&#8221;,&#8221;@id&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png&#8221;,&#8221;contentUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/img\/the-athletic-wordmark-black.png&#8221;,&#8221;creditText&#8221;:&#8221;The Athletic&#8221;,&#8221;height&#8221;:&#8221;60&#8243;,&#8221;width&#8221;:&#8221;435&#8243;},&#8221;publishingPrinciples&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/edit-guidelines\/&#8221;,&#8221;sameAs&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Athletic&#8221;},&#8221;author&#8221;:[{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Person&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Sam Vecenie&#8221;}]}<\/p>\n<div class=\"AspectRatioBox_root__AKv5b\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9 \/ 16;max-height:min(100%)\">\n<div class=\"AspectRatioBox_inner__86C_2\" style=\"aspect-ratio:9 \/ 16\">\n<div class=\"VideoStreamPlayer_GridStack__2H0p2\"><video preload=\"none\"><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Wilson has huge upside athletically, which gives him an All-Star ceiling. His blend of power, explosiveness and coordination on his drives and transition gives him tools other players can\u2019t match. When you combine that with his motor on offense and nose for the ball, it allows him to be remarkably productive. With further skill-based improvement, he has difference-making outcomes in his profile, similar to someone like Pascal Siakam, who has made multiple All-NBA teams.<\/p>\n<p>But he could also become a great, productive four man who doesn\u2019t quite impact winning in the way you want if the skill level and defense don\u2019t improve. If his defense and shot-creation skills don\u2019t grow, he has a similar profile to John Collins as an athletic, play-finishing big man, though Wilson is more coordinated as a ballhandler and plays with quicker reactivity and twitch. Wilson could easily transition into more of a hybrid three\/four wing if those pieces come along, or he could end up as more of an undersized four\/five.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-pickem\">\n<div id=\"top-league-content-root\"><\/div>\n<p>    {&#8220;endpoint&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql&#8221;}<\/p>\n<p>Wilson has serious upside, but he is more flawed than a few of the other elite players in the class. There are more pathways for him to become a good starter\/rotation player than some of the others. His work ethic will tell the tale in the NBA. 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439px){background-color:transparent}.player-card__photo.svelte-1u319qg{height:100%;width:auto;overflow:hidden;img.svelte-1u319qg{width:100%;height:58px;object-fit:cover;transform:translateY(2%) scale(1.45);transform-origin:top center;object-position:top center;@media (min-width: 379px){transform:translateY(0) scale(1.5)}@media (min-width: 499px){transform:translateY(2%) scale(1.5)}@media (min-width: 600px){transform:translateY(3%) scale(1.3)}}}}}}.recirc-link.svelte-1u319qg{display:inline-block;margin-top:10px;font-size:13px;font-family:var(&#8211;g-franklin);color:var(&#8211;g-color-grays-80);text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-underline-offset:2px;font-weight:600;@media (min-width: 379px){font-size:14px}@media (min-width: 720px){font-size:16px;margin-top:14px}}@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark){.native-mobile{.player-card.svelte-1u319qg{background-color:var(&#8211;g-color-grays-70);&#8211;g-player-photo-bg-color: var(&#8211;g-color-grays-70)}.player-card__tagline.svelte-1u319qg{color:var(&#8211;g-color-grays-20)!important}.player-card__player-info.svelte-1u319qg,.player-card__player-info.svelte-1u319qg .player-name-and-school.svelte-1u319qg,.player-card__player-info.svelte-1u319qg .player-school.svelte-1u319qg,.recirc-link.svelte-1u319qg{color:var(&#8211;g-color-grays-10)!important}}}<\/p>\n<div id=\"g-bk-VRlZQ16v5iHfRA\" class=\"birdkit-body g-bk-VRlZQ16v5iHfRA g-dark-mode-incompatible\" data-preview-slug=\"bk-VRlZQ16v5iHfRA\" data-birdkit-hydrate=\"79f68ebcd5b0dd24\">\n<div class=\"tk-embed-wrapper-class graphics-container-impressions fp-ignore svelte-1ma8250\" data-module-label=\"nba_draft_guide_2026\" data-module-type=\"embed\" data-module-context=\"nba_draft_guide_2026\" data-module-id=\"player_card\"><a class=\"graphic-wrapper-link svelte-1ma8250\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/interactive\/nba-draft-guide-2026\/player\/caleb-wilson-north-carolina-forward\/\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"player-card svelte-1u319qg\">\n<div class=\"player-card__player-info svelte-1u319qg\">\n<div class=\"content-wrapper svelte-1u319qg\">\n<div class=\"position-rank-container svelte-1u319qg\"><span class=\"position-rank-badge svelte-j9csdc\"><span class=\"position-rank-badge__position svelte-j9csdc\">Overall<\/span> <span class=\"position-rank-badge__rank svelte-j9csdc\">4<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"position-rank-badge svelte-j9csdc\"><span class=\"position-rank-badge__position svelte-j9csdc\">Forward<\/span> <span class=\"position-rank-badge__rank svelte-j9csdc\">2<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p> <span class=\"player-name-and-school svelte-1u319qg\"><span class=\"player-name svelte-1u319qg\"><span class=\"player-name-text\">Caleb Wilson<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"player-school svelte-1u319qg\">North Carolina<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<p class=\"player-card__tagline svelte-1u319qg\">Explosive athlete whose ceiling is as high as the top three, but has more flaws.<\/p>\n<p> <span class=\"recirc-link svelte-1u319qg\">Read full profile \u203a<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"player-card__photo-container svelte-1u319qg\">\n<div class=\"player-card__photo svelte-1u319qg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/graphics-cdn.theathletic.com\/nba-draft-guide-2026\/images\/caleb-wilson-north-carolina-forward-profile.png\" alt=\"Photo of Caleb Wilson North Carolina\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"svelte-1u319qg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>John Hollinger\u2019s analysis<\/h2>\n<p>Wilson has a very thin frame, can\u2019t shoot from distance and has sequences on defense that will make you shake your head.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Even with that, his production as a freshman was phenomenal. Let\u2019s start here: He constantly gets to the rim, whether as the initiator or rolling to the cup as a screener. Wilson took 19.3 2-point baskets per 100 possessions in ACC play and made 64.5 percent of them. In other words, he was shooting inside the arc nearly as often as AJ Dybantsa or Kingston Flemings, but he was converting at an awesome rate.<\/p>\n<p>Included in those were mouth-watering transition sequences where he dunked on people\u2019s heads. He loves to push rebounds and start trouble himself, although his dribble can get away from him. As a passer, he was pretty effective as a 6-10 forward, even though he wasn\u2019t wowing you with his reads. It\u2019s just an easy game for him at his size and with the advantages he creates.<\/p>\n<p>The other half of that 2-point percentage is Wilson\u2019s surprising lower-body strength. Despite his thin frame, he\u2019s comfortable powering up in the paint and taking a hit and expertly spins off contact and takes long strides to finish, in a way that is slightly reminiscent of Giannis Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n<p>Now for the bad news: Defensively, Wilson has great tools and made disruptive plays at a high rate (5.4 \u201cstocks\u201d per 100 possessions, 2.8 of which were steals \u2014 an amazing rate for a player of this size). However, he was often too casual at that end and was beaten on the perimeter more than you\u2019d expect or want.<\/p>\n<p>And then there\u2019s the shooting. Wilson only made seven 3-pointers all season and shot 71.3 percent from the free-throw line. While Wilson is talented enough to survive in the NBA without a jump shot, selecting him this highly prices in the idea that his 3 will eventually get to a respectable level. Given that his form doesn\u2019t seem broken, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a crazy bet.<\/p>\n<h2>David Aldridge\u2019s draft confidential<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>College assistant coach No. 2 (his team played North Carolina): <\/strong>I think he\u2019s Garnett. That\u2019s Baby Garnett.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>College head coach No. 1 (his team played North Carolina): <\/strong>For me, with the athleticism of that league, I would probably pick Wilson. But it\u2019s hard. Cam just wins. If Wilson doesn\u2019t get hurt, Hubert (Davis) doesn\u2019t get fired. I just think the athleticism, especially for that league, he\u2019s got, like, some Garnett s\u2014 to him. Man, Caleb Wilson\u2019s highlight package, I saw it a few weeks ago. Man, it\u2019s unreal. And he seems like a great kid, super competitive<strong>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>College head coach No. 3 (his team played North Carolina)<\/strong>: Caleb Wilson is really good. Versatile. Defensively can guard one through five. Athletic and long! Can rebound and push the break. Vocal on that end as well. Offensively he\u2019s a three-level guy. I don\u2019t know what his trick is on that end but as an offensive rebounder, he\u2019s elite. Quick second jump. Secondary ball handler. Has to get a go-to move or find that spot on the floor where he can consistently score.<\/p>\n<p><em>This story will be updated.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft. The Chicago Bulls selected Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick on Tuesday in the 2026 NBA Draft. Wilson, who averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in a season truncated when he broken his right thumb in February, has a tremendous frame for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-2007499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2007499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007499\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2007499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2007499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2007499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}