Caleb Wilson lands at No. 97 in ESPN's NBA player rankings before rookie debut

The former North Carolina forward and No. 4 overall draft pick by Chicago appears among ESPN's top 100 players ahead of his first NBA season.

Caleb Wilson, who starred as a freshman at North Carolina last season, has been placed 97th in ESPN's rankings of the top 100 NBA players. The distinction comes before the former Tar Heels forward has appeared in a single regular-season game.

Chicago selected Wilson fourth overall in the 2026 NBA Draft after a debut college campaign in which, despite an injury, he led the Tar Heels in scoring, rebounding and steals. ESPN's Zach Kram noted that Wilson was only the second North Carolina freshman to top the team in all three categories, after Tyler Hansbrough in 2005-06.

ESPN's write-up described Wilson as an exceptional athlete with considerable upside, citing his summer league showing in which he hit 42 percent of his threes on 7.8 attempts per game. It also flagged his ball security, with 21 turnovers against seven assists in Las Vegas. Kram called him the Bulls' most intriguing young player since Derrick Rose.

Wilson was the first of four first-year players named to the list. Cameron Boozer came in at No. 85, Darryn Peterson at No. 83 and AJ Dybantsa at No. 78.

Wilson now heads into his first professional training camp as the Bulls open a new era with the rookie on the roster.