High School Spotlight: Evaluating Five-Star Forward Caleb Wilson

Highlighting the two-way upside of one of the top forwards in the 2025 high school class.

Apr 8, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; General view of the first half between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Connecticut Huskies in the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Breen/Arizona Republic-USA TODAY Sports / Patrick Breen-Arizona Republic

When looking ahead to the 2026 NBA Draft, a potential one-and-done player in that class could easily be Caleb Wilson. A five-star forward standing at 6-foot-9 with a 205-pound frame, he’s a skilled combo forward with all of the tools a player needs to one day get to the NBA. 

While he plays more as a power forward at Holy Innocents Episcopal School currently, he has the chance to expand his positional versatility over the next few years with targeted development. If Wilson can improve his jumper while also making better decisions with the ball in his hands, he could end up being more of a perimeter-oriented wing at higher levels. 

One of the things that makes Wilson such an interesting prospect is his ability to thrive in transition. He runs well, is a lob threat and can also create on his own when attacking the rim on the break. Wilson is also effective in a halfcourt setting, whether he’s handling the ball or is playing off. He’s smart at getting to open space and putting himself in a good position to score. When playing with good perimeter players who can find him, Wilson is extremely effective as a cutter and off-ball threat overall. His natural instincts are clear on the offensive end and he has a knack for being in the right place. 

The next step for Wilson will be improving his jumper and ability to space the floor. Especially of late, he has shown flashes of being able to knock down shots from beyond the arc, but his mechanics still need some work. Wilson has a slight hitch when transferring energy on the way up, which makes his shot less smooth than teams would like. Closer to the rim in the midrange, he has become a more reliable jump shooter — especially with his turnaround jumper. 

Regardless, until he’s able to consistently knock down triples, Wilson is comfortable putting the ball on the deck. That’s one of the things that makes him special for his size, which also lends well to his self-creation upside. He is developing into a walking mismatch with his ability to take slower defenders off the bounce and rise above smaller defenders on the move. 

At 6-foot-9 with a good baseline skillset but room to improve, Caleb Wilson has what it takes to be the perfect modern combo forward at the NBA level. He has one more high school season remaining before he takes his talent elsewhere for at least a year before the leap to the NBA. 

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