The fact that several North Carolina players will be selected in the NBA Draft shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, two All-ACC big men, are those two guys. They might have been the best frontcourt tandem in the country, let alone the ACC, when they were playing together.
Despite missing the final nine games of UNC’s season, Wilson posted team highs of 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds and was named to the All-America and first-team All-ACC teams. Tyler Hansbrough’s freshman record for the most 20-point games was surpassed by him.
Veesaar averaged 16.3 points on 61.4% field goal and 41.5% three-point shooting, earning him a spot on the second team of the ACC. He averaged 8.4 rebounds as well.
Many draft experts, like Bryan Kalbrosky of USA TODAY Sports, predict that both players will be selected in the first round, with Wilson going in the top five and Veesaar going late in the round.
He projects them to go to this location:
Caleb Wilson, No. 3 (Memphis Grizzlies)
Wilson is anticipated to be selected third overall, behind Cameron Boozer (No. 2 to the Utah Jazz) and AJ Dybantsa (No. 1 to the Washington Wizards). Wilson will be expected to play a significant role right away for the Grizzlies, who finished last in the Southwest Division with a 25-57 record last season.
Here is what Kalbrosky said:
The Memphis Grizzlies are unafraid to draft away from consensus and tend to like analytically friendly prospects. One general manager also told Jake Fischer that “every team” is going to have North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson over either one of Dybantsa, Boozer or Darryn Peterson. Memphis is potentially one of those teams. His injury, which caused him to miss the NCAA Tournament with a broken thumb, did not hurt his draft stock at all. Wilson, who also suffered a hand fracture earlier in the season, did more than enough to earn this placement. According to Bart Torvik, before the injury, the All-ACC big man led the nation with 67 dunks recorded. He was also the only player under 20 years old to reach specific thresholds for both block, steal and defensive rebound percentage.
Henri Veesaar, No. 27 (Boston Celtics)
This seems like a good fit. With his versatility, the 7-foot Estonian could offer quick depth off the Celtics bench. Veesaar should have an easy route to early, significant minutes because Nikola Vucevic is expected to be 36 at the beginning of the 2026–2027 season.
Here is what Kalbrosky said:
Henri Veesaar has significantly improved since moving from Arizona to North Carolina. The 7-foot Estonian big man has a great offensive shot diet. The All-ACC big man is competing as a rebounder and passer in addition to scoring effectively at the rim (particularly when cutting or rolling) and on 3-pointers. He will be a top priority for any team, like the Celtics, searching for a big guy who can deliver NBA minutes quickly. Given that he was reportedly offered “at least $6 million” in the transfer portal, according to CBS Sports, he must be OK with his draft range.
