Dentist wants to pull my second molar and hope that the wisdom tooth grows into its place on its own instead of rct? (Photo)

Hi, I have a pretty large cavity on tooth 18, that my dentist says is like right at the nerve. It doesn’t hurt or cause me any pain really, but he says it’s pretty deep. He said it would work to get a root canal and crown, but he doesn’t think that it’s best for the long term. Instead he wants to extract it and hope that wisdom tooth #17 grows into its place on its own. From my research online, this seems highly unlikely. I am 20, and don’t want to be without a tooth there. Is it for the best?