NBA Draft 2021: 5 players that would benefit from another year at school

5. SF Jalen Wilson, Kansas

Jalen Wilson is going through the draft process, as is his right. He’s likely to find out, however, that the odds of him being drafted this summer aren’t high.

Wilson played two games the year before but was still considered a freshman this past season. He averaged 11.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. He also hit 33.3 percent of his three-point shot attempts.

The Big 12 All-Freshman Team performer was special on the defensive end too. He sports a 97.3 defensive rating last season, which ranked 17th in the conference. He was a particular monster on the defensive boards, where his 22.7 percent rebounding was only topped by two other Big 12 players.

Wilson did fade down the stretch. In his last four games of the year, he combined for just 21 points. In the NCAA Tournament loss to USC, he scored just two points in nine minutes. Part of his struggles there can be attributed to not traveling with the team to Indianapolis due to the team’s COVID-19 issue at the end of the season.

Despite his success at a young age, Wilson’s name isn’t popping up on mock draft boards for 2021. It’s slowly slipping into the conversation for 2022 though, showing that another season of preparation could do wonders for the wing.

Kansas could have a strong roster next season and Wilson would be a big part of that. Improving on his outside shot and leading the Jayhawks further in the Big Dance could propel Wilson up draft boards.