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Charles Barkley claims Caleb Wilson 'has the most upside' in the NBA Draft

Danby: Daniel Hager18 hours agoDanielHagerOn3

It’s safe to say that Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is a massive fan of North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, who is projected to be one of the first players selected in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Wilson had a magnificent freshman season for the Tar Heels before suffering a broken thumb that prematurely ended his year. In 24 games, the Atlanta native averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds. He was named a Consensus Second Team All-American, and was tabbed a First Team All-ACC selection.

During a hit on Wednesday’s episode of ‘Pardon The Interruption’, Barkley claimed that the only player he’d take in the Draft over Wilson is BYU‘s A.J. Dybantsa. However, he claimed that Wilson has the ‘most upside’ of all players in the Draft.

“A.J. (Dybantsa) is definitely a sure thing, but the guy who I’m most impressed with is Caleb Wilson from North Carolina,” Barkley said. “A.J. Dybantsa is the only player I’d take before Caleb Wilson. I think he’s fantastic. He got hurt unfortunately, but I think Caleb Wilson has the most upside in this Draft.”

Caleb Wilson made bold claim about future at NBA Draft Combine

Wilson was hitting his stride heading into mid-February when he suffered a fractured left hand in Carolina’s 75-66 loss to Miami. He had just scored 23 points on 8-12 shooting in the game before, which resulted in a 71-68 win over No. 4 Duke (marking just one of the Blue Devils’ three losses last season). Heading into that Miami game, Wilson had scored at least 20 points in 13 of his previous 15 games.

He appeared to be on his way back to the court prior to the NCAA Tournament, but he unfortunately broke his right thumb in practice on May 5. This marked an official end to his collegiate career, and foreshadowed the end of Hubert Davis‘ tenure in Chapel Hill.

Wilson, a projected top-five pick in the Draft, made a bold claim about what he will bring to an NBA organization at this week’s NBA Combine. He is seeking to become North Carolina‘s first top-five NBA Draft pick since 2005 (Marvin Williams & Raymond Felton).

“I’m gonna change their franchise,” Wilson said. “I’m gonna change the culture and their program. I’m gonna change the city honestly. I’m a culture changer. I did the same thing at North Carolina. They had a rough year the year before, and when I was able to play, I changed the culture. I’m gonna make the city live again. Whatever franchise drafts me, just know they’re going to get a winner and a leader.”

The 2026 NBA Draft is set for June 23-24.