Top 5 standout second-round picks from the 2023 NBA Summer League

2. Jalen Wilson, Brooklyn Nets (51st pick)

It’s really not crazy to say that Jalen Wilson had the most underrated Summer League of every single player in Las Vegas. The #51 pick Wilson may have been on the All-Summer League 2nd Team, but nobody talked about him like he should have been discussed. In his senior and final season at Kansas, he was a Consensus First Team All-American and the recipient of the Julius Erving Award (college basketball’s best small forward).

He’s clearly quite talented. In five Summer League games, he averaged 17.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on a 61.7 TS% (43.6/45.8/78.4 splits). The Nets made the semi-finals of the Summer League, and Wilson was certainly their best player and top performer.

The 22-year-old Wilson has already signed a two-way contract with the Nets, but it would be pretty shocking if he doesn’t outplay that. He shot incredibly in Summer League, and his shooting was the biggest concern with him entering the league. He attacks closeouts well and has a good dose of passing talent. He looked quite good defensively in the Summer League, too. He has an incredibly high IQ and feel, as he is seemingly always making the right play.

The 6-foot-5 wing certainly has competition for playing time. At the backup wing and forward spots, he will have to compete with Dorian Finney-Smith or Ben Simmons, Royce O’Neale, Lonnie Walker, and Dariq Whitehead. I don’t believe that it’s impossible for Wilson to be a full part of the Nets rotation at some point in this coming season, especially if his shooting has truly improved.