Caleb Wilson

[bucknut]

Whose the last big man with footwork as exquisite as this guy ? raw with foowork like this is incredible. His footwork is KG + kobe type step throughs. That is a tell tale sign of high hit rate as good as any is footwork. When he gets on the move he can squat down on a power dribble

The flailing athleticism he kind of has a knack to use to his advantage like a josh howard inside

dybantsa is clear #1 to me this kid could be 2

[jman3134]

Offense

In terms of his tendencies, Caleb Wilson immediately enters the league as one of the most dynamic face up big men in recent memory. His fluid handle, quick feet, and dynamic spin moves enable him to get in the lane and wreak havoc. Despite his developing frame, Wilson is already able to finish through contact at the basket and is capable of functioning as a primary ball handler in transition or attacking from the 3pt line in in halfcourt sets. Importantly, while he did not operate in pick & roll as often as he will at the next level, Wilson was formidable as a role man, scoring on 71.4% of his P&R attempts.

While he will need to diversify his handle at the next level against better defenders and tighten it in transition, Wilson posted a 12.6% TORate according to kenpom.com (which would have placed him in the top third of the ACC), despite usage on 26.4% of his team’s shots when he was in the game. The tape suggests that he was relatively secure with the ball, despite most teams frequently sending double teams at him. In fact, he evinced incredible play strength finishing through contact, which is an area that will immediately translate at the next level. Wilson is extremely dynamic when he gets in the lane and possesses rare footwork, elite body control, and serious hangtime. His 1.36 points per shot at the rim (pps) fall in the 87th percentile of the nation. Significantly, despite being an elite athlete, Wilson plays off of two feet, employing a bevy of shot fakes and misdirection moves. These tendencies rendered him virtually unguardable by bigs at the collegiate level, and this trend should continue in the NBA. In fact, the freshman drew a staggering 6.8 fouls per 40 minutes, which was the 25th best marker nationally.

Importantly, if he clears any space at all, Wilson is able to readjust mid air and opt for fadeaway jumpers, which he shoots right over the top of his man. His faceup midrange jump shots accounted for 16.3% of his shot attempts this past season according to our proprietary datasets. While he connected on an enormous number of difficult contested turnarounds this past season, Wilson could stand to work on his feet positioning and balance, as his weight shifting tends to throw off his shots at times, as he is not always square to the basket. A focus on contact balance in his offseason regiment would enable him to improve on his 45.8% shooting on faceup shots, turnaround jumpers, and fadeaways.

When he attacks the basket, Wilson leaves little margin for error, dunking almost everything that he can, with dunks accounting for 43.2% of his shot attempts at the rim [and 24.4% of his overall field goal attempts via our proprietary datasets]. In fact, according to Synergy Sports statistics, this placed Caleb in the 96th percentile of all college players. In terms of his in-between game, Wilson possesses an effective running one hander, which he often employs out of his spin moves. With nimble feet and sound body control, Wilson is able to maintain his balance and concentration amongst a crowd of defenders. According to our proprietary datasets, Caleb was versatile when driving to the basket, attacking with his dominant hand just 55.5% of the time. His versatility driving either direction, coupled with his crafty array of spin moves, drop steps, and up and under moves, render him virtually unguardable when he decides to get downhill. Importantly, though, Caleb does need to work on finishing with his left hand. When he operated off the left block (especially in conference play), he would often attack with his left before switching hands and finishing with his right. He only finished with his left on 7% of his attempts when driving this side of the basket. Defenses took advantage of this, and he was blocked twice as often driving left as he was with his dominant hand.

Additionally, the talented freshman would be wise to extend the range on his one handed floater (ala Trey Kaufman-Renn) to the medium range, as he currently opts for a two handed push shot, which is largely ineffective. Given his impressive ability to withstand contact, an effective one handed floater would prevent NBA defenders from sagging to the basket when he attacks in a straight line off the bounce. Keeping defenses honest is imperative, as this wrinkle – once mastered – would take Wilson’s game to another level. Moreover, while Wilson is not a traditional back down post threat, improving on his seldom used baby half hook would be an effective move to add once as he develops his lower body strength at the next level.
In terms of his shooting, Caleb must spend time developing his mid range jump shot and extend his range past the NBA three point line if he hopes to reach his enormous potential. As it currently stands, Wilson connected on about 38.9% of his dribble pullup midrange jumpers and a paltry 25.9% of his 3pt attempts, with a meager 1.1 attempts per game. Wilson will have to work on his balance, as well as the consistency of his mechanics, if he hopes to improve on these figures at the next level. While this is his only glaring weakness at the moment, a consistent jump shot would open up driving lanes and bolster every other facet of his game. Overall, Caleb Wilson is one of the most intriguing offensive weapons in this draft class due to his rare athleticism, impressive faceup game, and versatility as a P&R threat.

https://open.substack.com/pub/draftstack/p/caleb-wilson-scouting-report?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=74rpuh