If you don't know his name yet, you'll certainly be hearing it a lot more in the next few months leading up to the 2026 NBA Draft: Caleb Wilson is the next big thing to hit the NBA.
In what can be considered nothing short of the best draft class since 2003, Caleb Wilson has been the consensus 4th best player for quite some time. In most recent draft classes, the 4th best prospect isn't particularly elite coming into the league, often being significantly overshadowed by the top 1-3 prospects by a wide margin.
This couldn't be any farther from the truth this season.
Caleb Wilson is every bit as talented as any of the consensus top three prospects this year in Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Darryn Peterson, all flip-flopping in their draft rankings seemingly week by week.
The Hawks have likely had their eye set on Wilson all throughout his sensational freshman season with the University of North Carolina. Not only is the Tarheel an Atlanta native, but he also fits beautifully with Atlanta's current roster construction, and would complement Okongwu magnificently at the 4/5 next year in a dream scenario for the Hawks.
Unfortunately, recent reports from draft experts have Wilson leapfrogging any one of the top three draft titans, which would likely spell doom for Atlanta's odds at snagging the youngster.
Making matters worse, the Pelicans/Bucks pick isn't getting any better
Even more unfortunately, the Hawks' odds at a top-4 pick have taken a signficant hit in recent weeks. The Pelicans have won game after game with the return of Dejounte Murray, who, no doubt, is elated to exact some form of vengeance on Atlanta.
Meanwhile, the Bucks may see Giannis Antetokounmpo play out the majority of the season, against their own organization's will. While it's obviously in the Bucks' interest to tank (they receive the worse of their own/New Orleans' pick), Giannis is fervently anti-tank, and would love nothing more than to compete for a play-in spot.
The Hawks once sat at a 72.3% chance at a top-4 pick before the recent rise of the Pelicans. Now, their odds at such a pick has shrunk to a meager 40.2%. That's not nothing, even a 40% chance at Wilson, Dybantsa, Boozer, or Peterson is thrilling, but it's certainly a far cry from over 70% odds.
While the Hawks may no longer be favored to land a generational talent, you never know; far, far stranger things have occurred in recent NBA lotteries. After all, the Hawks did leapfrog substantially in 2024. Let's hope it happens once more this May.