Jalen Wilson

Jalen Wilson built his reputation at Kansas, winning a national title in 2022 and then taking unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year honors in 2023 as the league's scoring and rebounding leader. That college production did not translate to draft buzz — Brooklyn grabbed him 51st overall — but he has quietly turned a second-round flier into a real rotation wing. At six-foot-eight he fits the modern 3-and-D template: he defends multiple forward spots, competes on the glass, and knocks down the open corner three the offense hands him. The Nets guaranteed his contract through 2025-26, a vote of confidence in a player who does the unglamorous work. His ceiling depends on the jumper becoming consistent enough that opponents cannot sag off him.