Draft Prospect Highlights: Jalen Wilson
Overview
A national champion with Kansas in 2022, Jalen Wilson is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and Julius Erving Award winner. His game made a giant leap in year four at Kansas, with his offensive volume nearly doubling from 8.7 shots per game last season to 16.0 in 2022-23. He also averaged 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 35.4 minutes. Williams is one of the most decorated players in men’s Kansas basketball history.
Analysis
Wilson spent 48.5% of his possessions as a pick-and-roll ballhandler and spot-up shooter. He shouldered some tough-bucket getting for Kansas, but his 0.95 AST/TO ratio indicates his shaky PnR playmaking, and his 33.7% shooting from beyond the arc dents his shooting upside. Wilson is a fine defender but will likely be pigeonholed to guarding bigger guards and smaller wings versus NBA competition. His career-high 8.3 rebounds per game was great, and Wilson is still demonstrating annual growth heading into his age-23 campaign.
Projection
Wilson excelled at exploiting mismatches during his time at Kansas. There will be significantly fewer mismatches to exploit at the next level. Josh Hart has proved that rebounding prowess and good defense can counteract subpar shooting. Wilson will need to carve out his own niche, but proven winners are capable of doing so.
— Profile by RotoWire