Mar 31, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; McDonald’s All American West forward Caleb Wilson (8) shoots the ball during the Sprite Jam Fest at Barclay's Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

OKC Thunder Grab Lengthy Defender in 2026 NBA Mock Draft

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Derek Parker | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 8:45 AM ET

The Thunder rolled to the 2024-25 championship largely due to defense, owning a host of what are sure to be all-time defenders when it’s all said and done.

Luguentz Dort, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become known for locking in on defense at times, despite his superstar scoring output.

Even so, for as good as the Thunder’s defense was, they were miraculously without true middling defender. A player who stands in the 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-9 range, able to switch between multiple positions and really size up. Dort, Caruso and SGA are smaller, and Holmgren, Hartenstein and more on true frontcourt players. Williams could be classified as such — offering more defensive versatility than most — but is still on the smaller end for the archetype.

In a recent 2026 NBA Mock Draft from Bleacher Report, the Thunder used a top-10 pick to nab exactly what they need. With the tenth pick — which conveyed from Philadelphia — OKC was able to nab North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.

UNC Freshman Caleb Wilson has a crazy motor

Sleeper to be one of the best players in the ACC

pic.twitter.com/3Mt8SmrVQ5
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) August 26, 2025

At 6-foot-9, Wilson is a highly-touted five-star set to make his name for the Tar Heels, showing off premier athleticism, defensive versatility and what he hopes is enough offense to see his draft stock soar.

OKC doesn’t necessarily need anything defensively, but Wilson would likely be exactly the rangy, explosive type of defender that could help OKC.

Per Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman: “Caleb Wilson's defensive potential figures to pop first at North Carolina. We're going to see sequences of a 6'9" player making on-ball, recovery and weakside blocks. There will be questions about his offensive fit and upside as a scorer. Despite high-school flashes, it's difficult to project a reliable creator or shooter at the moment.”

Holmgren has the team's primary shot-block duties shored up, but Wilson would certainly be welcomed as a player who could add secondary and weak-side rim protection. He'd also be expected to guard on the perimter some, doing so next to the team's swath of talented defenders there.

The Thunder have taken on offensive projects before, and would likely hope to work Wilson in slowly in that regard.

Oklahoma City's strategy moving forward will be to backfill role player positions with their cache of draft picks, and Wilson would be an easy addition to those ranks.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: