[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2023 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Jalen Wilson
Frame: 6’8″ 225 lbs
Position: Wing
Team: Kansas 
2023 Draft Age: 22
Stats via www.sports-reference.com

Offense

Wilson’s biggest strength is his ability to slash through defenses and get to the rim. He relies on his size to overwhelm and muscle his way to his spots in the post or on the perimeter. Wilson uses quickness to get by similar-size defenders.

He relies primarily on hesitations with his handles but has limited moves and is a poor finisher at the rim—his limited athleticism leads to contested attempts. He has a habit of falling away, which adds to the difficulty of his shots. His lack of a viable floater hurts him in this area as well. He isn’t great at finishing with either hand and lacks general touch. On the year, he shot 56.7 percent at the rim on 180 attempts, according to www.barttorvik.com. 

With heavily-contested attempts, he got to the line often, taking 199 free throws this past season (shooting 79.9 percent). His form is crips as he fully extends his arms and has a high release. Wilson’s ability to get to the line is a constant source of his offense.

Wilson can hit long twos and threes but isn’t particularly great at either. As a mid-range shooter, he tends to fade away on pull-ups which causes his shot to fall short. Wilson excels at rising over smaller defenders, especially in the mid-range.

Behind the arc, Wilson is adequate—better off the ball than creating for himself. He has improved his form from previous seasons, increasing his arc, but his arm extension can still be inconsistent, as his shooting elbow can poke out at times. His guide hand sits lower than his shooting hand, resulting in wild misses. On the year, he shot 39.8 percent from mid-range and 33.7 percent from three. 

Wilson doesn’t offer much as a facilitator outside of finding cutters around the rim. He can get into trouble by holding onto the ball too long, drawing multiple defenders and missing open teammates resulting in turnovers. He averaged 2.2 assists per game to 2.3 turnovers per game this season.

Defense

Wilson is versatile on the defensive end but not great in any area. On the ball, he can guard wings of a similar size, absorbing contact well with his strength and balance. He can struggle against guards, as his footspeed is noticeably slow—his upper body sometimes reacts quicker than his feet to an offensive player’s burst, which can lead to foul trouble.

He doesn’t stand out or excel as a help defender, but he does a good job staying with his man when multiple passes away. Wilson tends to lose his man around screens and doesn’t provide much weak side rim protection despite his size.

He has shown some ability to read passes and pick them off, but not at a prolific rate (0.9 steals per game). He is a capable defensive rebounder, using his size and strength to secure boards over smaller players. Wilson’s motor is noticeable when fighting for rebounds, which helps amongst wings and forwards. 

Looking Ahead

Wilson is a jack of all trades who doesn’t excel at any on either end of the floor. His role in an NBA offense without a consistent jump shot is questionable. His bruiser slashing style is also iffy at the next level with the increase in size and athleticism. Defensively, he doesn’t stand out but is not a liability either. 

Wilson projects to be an early to mid-second-round pick, a third-string forward/wing who can give a team spark minutes. At his best, Wilson could be a quality bench piece with his versatility.