Jalen Wilson commits to Kansas

As recently as this weekend, the Kansas roster for the 2019-20 basketball season was a bit light on bodies, with the potential for major offensive spacing issues. Now, just two days after Isaiah Moss agreed to join the Jayhawks, incoming freshman Jalen Wilson has done the same, rendering those concerns a thing of the past.

Wilson is a 4 star recruit ranked by 247 Sports as the 44th best prospect in his class, and 47th by Rivals. At 6’8, 215 pounds, Wilson is listed as a small forward, but has the size to play some small-ball power forward.

The main concern for Kansas this offseason has been shooting, and this may well be Wilson’s primary strength as a player. After reading some scouting reports and watching some highlights, Wilson definitely has a nice shooting stroke, but scouts seem to agree there will be some room to grow as a pure shooter. Wilson can use his frame to get to the basket and seems to finish well through contact. Brian Snow of 247 Sports also says Wilson “should be able to guard multiple positions,” though he notes that Wilson can stand to improve in terms of pure athleticism.

With the addition of Moss, Wilson should be asked to come in off the bench, which is probably for the best. There’s no doubt he has great talent as a top 50 recruit, but it’s unlikely he would have been able to come in and singlehandedly solve the half court offensive woes we’ve been worried about before this week’s additions. Kansas will need his shooting and scoring, so if he develops as the season goes on, there’s a chance he could be playing very important minutes in Big 12 play and beyond.