Jalen Wilson is getting another shot at carving out a place in the NBA, this time with the Atlanta Hawks.
The former Kansas standout signed a two-way deal with Atlanta after spending three seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, giving him a new path as his fourth NBA season approaches. For a player who went from redshirt freshman to centerpiece at Kansas, this next step is familiar in one way: Wilson has never had the luxury of a straight line.
Bill Self has long turned Kansas into an NBA pipeline, producing more than 30 draft picks and one No. 1 overall selection in Andrew Wiggins in the 2014 NBA Draft. Most recently, former 5-star Darryn Peterson went No. 2 overall to the Utah Jazz.
Even so, those Kansas names rarely arrive in the league and instantly become stars. Plenty need time, reps and the G-League route to settle in.
Wilson fits that mold. After redshirting in 2019-20, he became a fixture for the Jayhawks, starting 89 of his next 102 games. He finished his Kansas career at 14.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2 assists per game, shooting 43.4% from the field.
His biggest college stage came in Kansas’ 2021-22 NCAA Championship run, when he averaged 29.4 minutes per game. In the title game against North Carolina, Wilson scored 15 points and added 4 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 38.5% from the field.
Then came the breakout. In 2022-23, Wilson put up 20.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 43% from the field, earning AP All-American first-team honors. Kansas finished 28-8 before falling to Arkansas, 72-71, in the NCAA Tournament.
The Nets took Wilson with the 51st pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and signed him to a two-way deal. He also made noise in the 2024 NBA 2k25 Summer League, where he was named MVP after averaging 21.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist.
His NBA production with Brooklyn was steadier than flashy. Over three seasons with the Atlantic Division team, Wilson averaged 7.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20.2 minutes per game while shooting 40.1% from the field.
His career high of 21 points came against the Toronto Raptors in the 2023-24 season. Last season, he averaged 6.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and nearly 1 assist per game on 39.6% shooting.
Wilson also logged 11 regular-season games in the G-League with the Long Island Nets. In the 2023-24 regular season, he totaled 209 points, 85 rebounds, 40 assists and 10 steals.
Atlanta’s connection to Kansas doesn’t stop with Wilson. The Hawks recently drafted former Kansas forward Zuby Ejiofor with the No. 23rd overall pick, and the two overlapped for one season in Lawrence. By the time Wilson was earning All-American recognition, Ejiofor was still a freshman trying to find his footing.
Wilson’s first chance to make an impression in Atlanta comes during the NBA preseason, set for October 9-11.
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The timing makes the scrutiny feel even sharper, because JHX just won to even its best-of-three series and force a deciding game at Bramlage Coliseum. Tyshawn Taylor and the staff are still trying to piece together the right mix while the margin for error disappears, and Collins' comments offered a reminder that the roster conversation is often messier than fans see from the outside. With one elimination game left, the focus shifts from online criticism to whether this version of the Jayhawks can finish the job. [Read more 🡒]
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What stands out for Kansas is how much of that recognition is attached to new faces as much as familiar ones. Tre'Von McAlpine, Bam Crouch and Corey Gordon made the cut before even playing a game for the Jayhawks, a reminder that the transfer portal has become a major part of the talent pipeline in Lawrence. The Shrine Bowl 1000 is only an initial evaluation step in the lead-up to the 2027 NFL Draft process, but it still says plenty about how quickly Kansas has started to stock players who are drawing national notice. [Read more 🡒]