The Pacers should be weighing all of their options with their three first-round picks as well as a high second-round pick. Today, another player declared for the 2023 NBA draft that the Pacers should keep their eye on.
Jalen Wilson, one of the best and most accomplished players in recent Kansas basketball history, has declared he is entering the 2023 NBA Draft. His skills and leadership will be missed dearly next season.
— Through The Phog (@ThroughThePhog) April 5, 2023
(via @Josh_Schulman04) https://t.co/B95XzwBOIX
Jalen Wilson is a 6-8 forward that has some elite offensive skills. He certainly isn’t someone who projects to the Pacers first overall pick, but someone the Pacers could look at if he is still on the board in the second round. Given that he is already a Junior, his ceiling is probably not as high as some other players on the board given that much of his development has already happened in the college game.
This season Wilson averaged the following numbers: 20 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. On top of that he played for one of the best teams in the nation in Kansas. And while he isn’t scouted to be elite at the next level, he could develop into a solid rotation piece if developed correctly at the next level. His NBA comparison is probably someone like Keldon Johnson.
The Pacers need to be loading up on forwards this draft to address their biggest need.
Wilson fits into a list of forwards that the Pacers should be keeping their eye on during the draft process. Of course there are multiple forwards that grade higher than Wilson, but the Pacers have significant draft capital they need to use this season if they don’t trade any of it away. Because of this, all options need to be left on the table.
Wilson is a player that has a high floor, but probably also a lower ceiling, similar to a Chris Duarte. He isn’t the type of player we want to draft extremely high, but someone we could take a flier on later in the draft.