Case Study: Jalen Wilson’s Path With the Brooklyn Nets

There was once a time when many (myself included) believed it was 2023 second-rounder and Kansas product Jalen Wilson who'd be the Brooklyn Nets' surprise breakout star ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. He'd seemingly bought into Head Coach Jordi Fernandez's vision, and even won the Summer League MVP in Las Vegas—displaying a lethal shooting stroke from beyond the arc.

But 2024-25 came and went, the Nets secured a lottery selection (eighth overall), and all the preseason hype surrounding Wilson really just faded away. Now, barely a year removed from the most optimistic point of Wilson's career to date, he is, by default, a cut candidate heading into training camp.

And it doesn't even have much to do with his skills, rather an overall lockjam that exists on Brooklyn's roster.

Was Wilson all he was hyped up to be? He wasn't. But he was still a solid role player. Nearly 10 points, three rebounds and two assists per night on below-average efficiency in one's sophomore season at the NBA level isn't horrible by any means. Plus, he's only 24. There's plenty of time for continued development.

The question is: are the Nets willing to invest in that continued development, or would they prefer giving Wilson's roster spot to someone else? That's quite the difficult decision, because Wilson has shown—at the bare minimum—that he belongs on an NBA roster. If Brooklyn cuts him, he'll be scooped up almost instantly, there's no doubt there.

Wilson is in the same boat as guys like Drew Timme and Tyrese Martin, who'll be getting their own case studies here shortly: good enough to be on a roster, but maybe not good enough for the Nets to invest in long-term.

The debate is almost entirely due to Brooklyn's timeline and how the front office has chosen to construct this roster over the summer. The Nets' endless pursuit of salary dumps—as well as the decision to bring in five rookies using first-round picks—makes positional rooms crowded.

And the wing room may be the most crowded of any, to which Wilson and Martin each belong.

Maybe Wilson's potential gets him another year. Perhaps someone gets injured in training camp, and suddenly, Brooklyn needs the depth Wilson provides. Or, in the best-case scenario, Wilson could show that he's taken the next step in his development and is in line for a big third-year jump.

Regardless of the outcome, General Manager Sean Marks will have a tough decision on his hands.