UNC basketball signee Caleb Wilson Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

UNC Basketball Newcomer Appears as Projected One-And-Done Lottery Pick

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 9:58 AM ET

The UNC basketball program hasn't produced an NBA Draft lottery pick since Coby White and Cam Johnson came off the board at No. 7 and No. 11 overall, respectively, back in 2019. Perhaps five-star freshman forward Caleb Wilson will end that peculiar drought for the blueblood Tar Heels.

On Friday, the morning after the 2025 NBA Draft concluded, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released their way-too-early mock draft for next year . They forecast Wilson, who will turn 19 in a couple of weeks, to hear his name at No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Hawks.

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STORY: https://t.co/142fdF7mYV pic.twitter.com/0NEYZYp4aM
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 27, 2025

"At 6-foot-9, Wilson looks the part with an outstanding frame, length and developing two-way versatility that could be harnessed into a very intriguing package long term," Givony wrote about the potential one-and-done UNC basketball centerpiece. "He can push off the defensive glass and pass on the move.

"Wilson's intensity level and outside shooting need work, but he has attributes you can't teach and is loaded with long-term upside."