Ranking the 13 former Kansas Jayhawks basketball players still playing in the NBA
By Tyler Key
The Depth Option Group:
9. Jalen Wilson (51st pick in the 2023 NBA Draft)
Jalen Wilson has emerged nicely as a rookie for the Brooklyn Nets this season. While some NBA scouts thought Wilson may go undrafted, he ended up being taken with the 10th to last pick in the draft. Beginning in February, he has seen his role with the Nets increase and averaged 18.9 minutes per game. His season splits are also much more efficient than expected, as he is averaging 46.3% shooting from the field, 43.8% from beyond the arc, and 90.5% from the FT line. He will never be a #1 option in the NBA like he was for Kansas, but if he keeps shooting this well, there’s no doubt that he will find himself getting a 2nd contract in the NBA.
8. Ochai Agbaji (14th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft)
After being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2022 lottery, Ochai Agbaji was immediately shipped to Salt Lake City to play for the rebuilding Utah Jazz. While he did show some flashes with them during his first season and a half with the team, Ochai has not been able to consistently shoot from beyond the arc in the NBA, and that caused the Jazz to move on from him at this year’s trade deadline. He now plays for the Toronto Raptors and averages 5.5 PPG in 13.9 MPG. Here’s to hoping that Canada can treat his development better than the Midwest did.
7. Marcus Morris (14th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft)
Marcus Morris was drafted one pick after his twin brother in 2013 and does not have an NBA ring to his name like Markieff does, but currently he is by far the better current NBA player. He started 148 games with the Los Angeles Clippers over the last three seasons, before he was traded to Philadelphia in the James Harden trade. Marcus’ role was definitely much smaller with the 76ers, but he still averaged 6.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG in his 17.2 MPG (37 appearances), before he was once again traded to the San Antonio Spurs and bought out. He is currently not on a team but is expected to sign with a playoff contender in the next few weeks before the playoffs begin.