Jalen Wilson's three-point shooting an encouraging sign for rebuilding Nets
Nets forward Jalen Wilson reacts after scoring a three-point basket against the Knicks in the first half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on April 12. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
LAS VEGAS — It wasn’t surprising Jalen Wilson looked too good for Summer League through three games. Most second-year players with experience typically do that.
But a mild surprise was how great Wilson looked shooting the ball from deep. He made five three-pointers in Tuesday’s Nets win, including a dagger with 24.8 seconds left that extended the lead to six.
It reminds one of Wilson’s three-pointer to force overtime in the Nets’ first win last week. In three Summer League games, Wilson is 14-for-29 on threes (48.2%).
It’s encouraging because the Nets desperately need more shooting next season after being 23rd out of 30 teams in three-point shooting after the All-Star break last season.
“The same shots we shoot in the game, we’re shooting in practice every single day,” said Wilson after scoring 27 points Tuesday. “So I just attribute it to all the time we’ve been putting in this summer in Brooklyn and all the help the coaches have been giving us on how to go out and execute.”
With the Nets headed to a season of expected heavy losses, player development is a priority as much as winning. There’s going to be growing pains and living with mistakes but it’ll help if there’s some immediate hope to bring confidence. That’s where Wilson’s shooting comes in.
Of the Nets’ three second-year players, he’s the most advanced offensive player at this stage. The 23-year-old scored 25 points in the Nets’ opening Summer League win.
But the way for Wilson to maintain his rotation spot is show he can space the floor. He’s made at least four threes in every Summer League game so far and twice made five.
They added Bojan Bogdanovic, a career 39.4% shooter on threes, in the Mikal Bridges trade.
However, two of their best shooters last season could be on the move if the Nets decide to trade Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith.
For Wilson, it’s an opportunity he can take advantage of.
“The better [Jalen] can shoot the ball or the more room there is for getting in a pick and roll, Keon [Johnson] to attack one on one, the shooting provides all the space that we need,” Nets Summer League coach Steve Hetzel said.
Coming out of Kansas, Wilson’s shooting was seen as a weakness. He tried to remedy that by shooting well in Summer League last season but regressed to shooting just 32.4% on threes as a rookie.
The Nets are hopeful this summer won’t be another outlier against lesser competition. If Wilson can be a capable 3-and-D player to go with his rebounding and high court awareness, it’ll be a helpful development in a rebuilding season and for Wilson’s career.
“I feel like that first year is just so fast for a rookie because we’re just like, ‘We’re in the NBA now.’ It’s different,” Wilson said. “So hopefully the second year is just slowed down and I get to really learn the game.”
What’s next in free agency?
The Nets have been quiet since trading Bridges. Any trade speculation surrounding Johnson or Finney-Smith has simmered down for now.. However, the Nets would love to add more draft picks. Noah Clowney’s solid showing this summer could also make Day’Ron Sharpe expendable since the Nets may not keep three centers.
But don’t expect them to add anyone significant in free agency. With 14 of 15 roster spots filled, the Nets are unlikely to add a top free agent and whoever they end up with will be on a veteran minimum deal.
They’re also $8.2 million below the luxury tax according to Capsheets, which tracks team’s salary sheets. Since the Nets would like to avoid the repeater tax penalty, that limits who they can afford to target.
If anything happens this offseason, it’ll likely be more via trade than free agency. The Nets still could use another backup point guard or a veteran shooter.
Nets have fewest opening projected win totals
Several betting sites released their opening win/loss totals for NBA teams this week and the Nets have bettors expecting a rough road ahead.
Draft Kings, BetOnline and ESPN Bet all have the Nets projected to win 19.5 games. That’s the fewest total of any team listed.
For the record, the last time the Nets finished with fewer than 20 wins was 2009-10 when they won 12. They went 20-62 in 2016-17.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
