Kentucky’s monster victory over Duke in the Champion’s Classic could bring more than a notch in the win column. Caleb Wilson, a 2025 five-star forward out of Georgia, canceled his Arkansas visit after watching the Wildcats’ big win. A consensus top-five player in his class, landing Wilson would be massive for Mark Pope’s next recruiting class.
John Calipari’s tenure had Kentucky as one of the country’s hottest recruiting destinations. Pope’s first recruiting class has picked up where Cal left off, already landing three top 35 recruits — Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno and Acaden Lewis. Landing Wilson would round out an elite freshman class.
Wilson played with the Peach Jam title-winning Nightrydas Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit this summer. In his 15 games there, Wilson averaged 14.9 points (60.6% true shooting), 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, according to Synergy.
Caleb Wilson’s defensive dominance
His defensive numbers are most impressive of all, though, averaging an elite 2.5 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. By my tracking, no other player in EYBL came close to his turnover production.
https://x.com/bjpf_/status/1839377712793964577
During his final AAU season, Wilson locked in on the defensive end as he never had before. The 6’9 forward boasts incredible explosion, length and movement skills which he finally applied to dominate on the defensive end. Without as much offensive responsibility as his past teams, Wilson devoted all of his energy to defense.
He paired that activity with strong instincts to jump passing lane and pluck loose balls. His ability as a secondary rim protector will be hugely valuable for his eventual NBA translation. Wilson explodes off of two feet, willing to make big contests and rotations at the basket to alter and destroy shots.
Wilson slides with great energy and activity on the ball, overwhelming handlers with great lateral quickness and mirroring. His excellent gapping defense, taking away passing and dribbling lanes with stunts and digs, fits with modern basketball defense. His defensive performance this summer suggests immediate impact at the college level especially.
https://x.com/bjpf_/status/1839377712793964577
Wilson’s offensive skillset
Playing next to other star prospects helped Wilson hone his offensive skillset. In the past, Wilson’s teams asked him to create offense, which isn’t his strength. Working off of Cam and Cayden Boozer let him find easier shots within the flow of the offense.
As a result, Wilson converted at the rim constantly. He’s one of the best play-finishers in the country, shooting 74.1% at the hoop (97th percentile) in EYBL play. Even when you remove transition opportunities, he still made 72.2% of his half-court rim attempts.
Caleb Wilson skies above the rim to finish on cuts and lobs. He’s not the best self-creator in the world, but Wilson has enough athletic juice to drive and finish. Still, he’s best as a finisher and a secondary slasher working off of other advantage creators and playmakers.
Though Wilson does thrive most off of the ball, he’s a capable mid-range creator when needed. His creation diet dipped when he joined Nightrydas, but he occasionally flashed the ability to pull up off of the dribble. It’s a useful counterpunch to his normal slashing mode, forcing defenses to pressure him out to the perimeter.
Wilson shot 46.2% on a tiny sample of off-dribble jumpers (6/13). He shot 38.6% on 83 attempts in his previous EYBL season with Georgia Stars, so there’s some track of positive pull-up shooting to bank on.
Caleb Wilson outlook
Expanding his shooting range will help Wilson increase his ceiling at the college and NBA level. Wilson shot just 21.4% on his 1.9 three-point attempts per game. In the summer of 2023, Wilson made 21.1% of his three three-point attempts per game. He’s hovered around 70% at the line over the past two years, so hopefully, his efficiency can increase in the future.
Wilson’s experience playing next to other on-ball stars should serve him well at Kentucky. Acaden Lewis and Jasper Johnson are both strong enough playmakers to feed Wilson’s chances. Malachi Moreno is one of the best rim defenders in the country. He and Wilson could form an impregnable backline in Lexington.
On3’s recruiting projections view Kentucky as the heavy favorite to land Caleb Wilson. It’s an ideal marriage of scheme fit and talent, as Wilson would round out a star-studded recruiting class. There’s a chance Wilson will be an excellent college player immediately, especially on the defensive end. If he can progress as a shooter, Wilson could see his name called early in the 2026 draft.
