As a high school senior in 2017, he was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game[2] and was ranked as a consensus five-star prospect in the class of 2017.

[5] The Bruins highest ranked recruit for 2017–18 ahead of guard Jaylen Hands,[6] he started in the season opener and scored a team-high 18 points in a 63–60 win over Georgia Tech.

[14][15] In the regular-season finale, Wilkes scored a season-high 22 points and teammate Aaron Holiday had a career-high 34 in an 87–72 victory over USC, completing a season sweep in their crosstown rivalry and clinching a bye and the No.

[22][23][24] There were concerns among NBA executives about his durability given his narrow frame of 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg), and he figured to improve his standing with a more prominent role as a sophomore.

[26] On January 26, 2019, he scored a career-high 34 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field to help UCLA end a three-game losing streak in a 90–69 win over Arizona.

[32] He was expected to sign a two-way contract with the New York Knicks after general manager Scott Perry talked about him while introducing their 2019 draft picks.

[33][34][35] However, Wilkes was unable to play in the 2019 NBA Summer League due to a severe, undisclosed illness,[33][36] and the Knicks signed Ivan Rabb with their remaining two-way slot.