North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his right thumb while dunking during Thursday’s practice, the school announced Friday. Sources told ESPN he has already undergone surgery.
Wilson is expected to be cleared in time for the NBA pre-draft process, where he projects as a potential top-5 pick in June’s draft. While Wilson has not quite been considered at the level of the expected top-3 picks Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer, he has emerged as the probable fourth best prospect in the draft.
The injury compounds an already difficult stretch for the 6-foot-10 forward. Wilson had missed the previous six games with a fractured left hand suffered February 10 at Miami and was considered close to returning before Thursday’s setback.
Wilson was averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game this season. North Carolina has gone 5-1 in his absence.
The Tar Heels enter the weekend at 24-6 overall and 12-5 in ACC play, locked into the No. 4 seed at next week’s conference tournament. They face No. 1 Duke on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the regular-season finale.