Subscribe
Follow Us
Jalen Wilson has seized every opportunity he's earned throughout his basketball journey. After a decorated high school career, the 6-foot-8 wing won a National Championship while earning First-Team All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year honors at Kansas. Despite his impressive resume, he fell to the Brooklyn Nets at 51st in the 2023 draft due to concerns about his age, athleticism, and outside shooting.
Yet, Wilson continued to impress after transitioning to the NBA. He earned minutes during his first season using his hard-nosed defense, rebounding, and improved three-point stroke. After the Nets converted the 23-year-old from a two-way contract to a three-year standard deal, he won this year's Summer League MVP, averaging 21.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on 47.3 percent shooting in Las Vegas.
Wilson is in line for an expanded role in 2024-25, with the Nets embracing a youth movement during year one of a rebuild. Newly hired head coach Jordi Fernandez has raved about the second-year wing's intangibles.
“J Will has been amazing,” Fernandez said. “He had an amazing summer. Physically, he’s one of the best-conditioned guys on our team. You can see it on the court. He’s always still running and being physical. And the shot, when he lets it fly, it goes in… He’s done a great job and put himself in a good position to perform at this level.”
Jalen Wilson is starting tonight and received very high praise from Jordi Fernandez:
“J Will has been amazing. He had an amazing summer. Physically, he’s one of the best conditioned guys on our team… He deserves it… I’m excited to see how he performs now as a starter.” pic.twitter.com/kyPlulGBL8
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) October 18, 2024
Wilson enters the season behind Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith in Brooklyn's rotation. However, with the Nets expected to field trade offers for both veteran wings, he'll be a fixture in their plans moving forward. Wilson sat down with ClutchPoints to discuss his path to Brooklyn, rookie season takeaways and year two expectations.
ClutchPoints exclusive with Nets' Jalen Wilson
CP: The Nets are embracing a youth movement after trading Mikal and entering this rebuild. What was your reaction to that deal and the team’s new direction?
Wilson: “My initial reaction is always to just congratulate people, no matter what is going on. Trades are gonna happen, but I’m always happy for people to go to new places where they can start something new and grow. As far as us, being all young guys, we all want an opportunity to play. The coaches here have all embraced being able to get better every single day. It started in Summer League and carried over to the preseason. Whether it’s on the court, off the court, taking care of our bodies. It just means a lot to have leaders in the organization pushing us every day to be the best we can be.”
CP: You got a taste of an NBA rotation during your rookie season. Did the preseason have a different feel this year given the potential for a bigger role?
Wilson: “Yeah, I’m just feeling more comfortable. Rookie year, you don’t really understand what’s gonna go on. You’re all over the place just trying to figure out the game, and as you play more, get more reps, it slows down a little bit. So that was probably the biggest thing I realized was just how to slow things down, execute different things, and just stay in the gym and be hungry. As a young guy, the opportunity is there, but everyone is trying to go for that. So it's just having the midset to be in the gym and work hard every single day. That's everything I’m trying to do right now.”
CP: You had a very illustrious college career but fell to 51st in the draft. What was that night like for you? Is it something that sticks with you as motivation?
Wilson: “Draft night is always crazy. You don’t know where you’re gonna be, you don’t know where your life will begin in the NBA. I’m so thankful it was Brooklyn because this is honestly the best place it could’ve ever happened. I'll say, 51 was not the ideal number for me, but I always use it as motivation. It’s just another testament to my life in college. Just going through adversity, and adversity will continue on throughout my life. But how do you combat adversity? How do you respond? And responding the right way is always something I want to do.”
CP: In today's NBA, people often see it as a negative when a player is older entering the league. Do you see any ways your extended time in college better prepared you for the pros?
Wilson: “For sure. If you look at guys who were my age coming out of the draft like Jaime [Jaquez] in Miami or Trayce [Jackson-Davis] in Golden State, guys who are ready to play now, I feel like it’s a benefit. Yes, there’s always potential with younger guys who are 18 or 19, but you look at guys who spent time in college and built up years and worked hard – I was able to win a National Championship – so I feel like that’s a testament to who I am as far as being a winner and ready to play now.”
CP: You won MVP at this year’s Summer League. Obviously, Summer League is much different than the NBA, but there are still a lot of very good players there. Did winning an award like that add to your confidence entering your second NBA season?
Wilson: “100 percent. That’s a high-level tournament, a high-level area to compete. A lot of first-year guys, second-year guys, and third-year guys are coming in to compete and establish themselves entering the season. So it was a great accomplishment. I’m very thankful for that and I’ll keep using it to go forward.”
CP: You got to play alongside a stable of accomplished veteran wings during your rookie season – Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale. What have you learned from being around them and observing how they approach the position?
Wilson: “All of them are willing to learn. All of them are willing to embrace the role. I feel like that’s the biggest thing in the NBA is understanding what you do best and executing every single day. Royce, Doe, Mikal, Cam – those are four versatile guys who can all play different positions. They take pride in defense and understand that versatility and understanding your role is important. Those are the biggest things I’ve taken away.”
CP: What do you want people to think of when they think about you as a player?
Wilson: “First, a guy that wants to win, a guy that is a winner. I wanna be someone that can be plugged into different situations. Basketball is so up and down, you don’t know which way the game is gonna go with different lineups. I just wanna be a guy that you can plug into any lineup. Anything that you need to get done, I wanna be that guy. Someone who plays hard always and is a great teammate. Basketball is always best when we you got people around who you consider brothers, and I just wanna be a guy that everyone can lean on.”
CP: Are there any NBA players you have modeled your game after or enjoy watching while studying film?
Wilson: “Honestly, I just take a lot from the guys that I’ve played with. Doe is an experienced guy who has played in the playoffs. I see his versatility coming in as an older guy being able to stretch the floor, read closeouts, and guard at a high level. Those are three things that you need to be able to do, especially as a young player coming in and wanting to establish yourself.”
CP: Of all your Kansas teammates, who is the one you most look forward to playing against the NBA?
Wilson: “Always Christina [Braun]. That’s been my guy since we started at KU. Always fun playing against him.”
CP: Who are your top 4 Kansas players of all time?
Wilson: “Out of respect, I’ll exclude myself. Danny Manning, for sure. Then I'll go Wilt Chamberlin, Mario Chalmers, and I’ll give the last spot to Paul Pierce.”
CP: You grew up in Texas. What has it been like moving to New York and being a part of the Brooklyn culture?
Wilson: “It’s great. Coming from Texas, it’s definitely an adjustment. It’s not big fields, big highways, and stuff like that. But the culture here, everyone’s so welcoming as far as just getting out and being friendly in different spots you can go vibe at. It’s just a beautiful city. There’s so much to do, so many good sports here. I’ve never gotten to attend baseball games and I went to my first Yankees game. That was great… There’s just so much to do here. It’s been a beautiful time, and I’m just loving it more every single day.”
