Kansas forward Jalen Wilson declares for 2023 NBA Draft
Kansas forward Jalen Wilson has declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, he announced on Twitter on Wednesday. Wilson played four years at Kansas and grew into a starring role by the 2022-23 season.
Wilson’s decision comes after an extraordinary 2023 season. If not for Purdue big man Zach Edey’s dominant play for the Boilermakers, we very well may be talking about Jalen Wilson the National Player of the Year. But instead, Edey soared to victory for that trophy while Wilson had to settle for First-Team All-American honors — where he was the second leading vote getter for the AP All-American teams behind Edey.
On the year, Wilson averaged a shade over 20 points at 20.1 points to go along with 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest for the Jayhawks. Of course, Wilson was also a starting player on the 2021-22 national championship team after he had surprised folks by becoming a full-time starter as a redshirt freshman in 2020-21.
He was always the ideal Bill Self wing — versatile, strong on the glass, and able to shoot it from deep. Wilson has served as a starting three and even a small-ball center at times, especially this season, where he was the team’s leading rebounder and the tallest member of the starting lineup.
Just another name to add to the list of All-Americans Bill Self has produced. Seriously, no coach in the country churns out All-Americans like Self. Take a look at these stats: the last season Kansas did not have an All-American or future All-American was 2006! And since 2010, Kansas has had 14 different players named as a consensus All-American. During that stretch, the only years where Kansas did not have an All-American were…2015, 2019 and 2021. The program turns teenagers into All-Americans on a routine basis.
Take a good look at this current Kansas roster. It’s nearly a certain bet that one of those younger players will be an All-American some day in the future.
More on the 2023 NBA Draft
The 2023 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center. Round 1 of the draft will be announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, while Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum is expected to handle the second round of picks.
To be eligible for the NBA Draft, players must be at least 19 years in age during the calendar year that the draft is held and at least one NBA season from their high school graduation date, or the date that would have been if they are not graduated. It is not required that player spend that one year playing college basketball, though. Players can play in either college, abroad, or the G League Ignite if they choose so.
While this is a significant change from what the rules once were, players are eligible to enter their names into the NBA Draft pool and explore their options by hiring an agent to go through the process, while still keeping their college eligibility. The deadline to make that move is on April 23 beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET. Players have until June 12 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw their name from the pool and return to college.
The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 16, which is also the start of the NBA Conference Finals.