Kansas basketball: Jalen Wilson’s NBA stock signals a strong reason to return

As we approach the July 7th deadline for college basketball players to return to their respective universities for another run at success before jumping to the pros, we still have some question marks regarding the roster lineup for Kansas basketball.

One of those question marks is the status of would-be sophomore Jalen Wilson. He is one of the two Jayhawks – along with Ochai Agbaji – who is testing the waters in the NBA draft process.

While Wilson was not invited to the NBA Draft combine, he is joined by Marcus Garrett with an invite to the NBA G-League camp. According to GLeague.NBA.com, a select number of players from their camp could be invited to the combine.

Wilson has not seen his name on a lot of 2021 NBA mock boards, but his name is slowly creeping onto some projections as a 2022 pick. Considering he has only played one full year of college basketball, an additional season under head coach Bill Self should benefit him.

While Wilson started the 2020-2021 season strong, scoring 23 points against Kentucky and Creighton (top 25 opponents at the time), he certainly cooled off deeper into Big 12 play and finished the season with just 2 points against USC in the NCAA tournament.

It’s no secret that today’s NBA scouts are looking for complete players who are versatile, aggressive, and confident. Wilson’s got a solid outside shot, the ability to get rebounds and drive the ball – all of which professional teams love. However, the consistency throughout the season just wasn’t there.

If Agbaji finds his way on a professional team, the spot for team leader would be there for Wilson to take. The Jayhawks will be a young team with lots of transfers, so having Wilson back will not only benefit Kansas but allow Wilson to boost his draft stock as well.