Nets second-pick pick Jalen Wilson finds opportunity for a Brooklyn team dealing with rash of injuries
The Nets have endured more than their fair share of injures this season. Dennis Smith Jr., Lonnie Walker IV and Ben Simmons did not travel during the team’s recent 1-4 West Coast swing, and it also played without Dorian Finney-Smith on Saturday in San Francisco.
Because of Brooklyn’s lack of healthy bodies, head coach Jacque Vaughn had to dig deeper into his bench during the trip. He regularly played 8-12 guys with much quicker substitution patterns than normal. All the Nets could do was try to make the best out of an unfortunate situation.
Mikal Bridges likely felt the toll of his usage the most. He averaged 35.4 minutes per game during the trip and shot below 40% from the field in four of his last five games. The forward went 4-of-16 from the field in Monday’s 125-108 loss to Utah, which was his worst game of the season in terms of overall offensive efficiency.
“Yeah, I don’t think our guys would want me to get up here and give them an excuse,” Vaughn said following Monday’s disappointing loss in Utah. “I do feel like they gave me everything they had this trip. And hopefully we get a chance to go home and get some healthy bodies, that will be helpful for us. We’ve been wearing some guys pretty thin this early in the year, unfortunately. And tonight, definitely the toll added up.”
However, there was a bright spot. Rookie forward Jalen Wilson became the first of the Nets’ 2023 draft picks to receive meaningful minutes in consecutive games this season. Wilson was taken at No. 51 in the second round out of Kansas in June, after the team selected Alabama’s Noah Clowney in the first round with the 21st pick and Duke’s Dariq Whitehead with the 22nd pick.
Clowney and Whitehead both made their NBA debuts in Brooklyn’s 112-97 defeat of the Miami Heat at Barclays Center on Nov. 25. Neither have played in an NBA game since. Wilson made his NBA debut way back on Nov. 1 at Miami, then was with the Long Island Nets for 16 of Brooklyn’s next 17 games.
Wilson has obviously been doing something right in the G League, because as injuries have continued to pile up in Brooklyn, he has been the youngster Vaughn has turned to. After a lengthy inactive streak, he has appeared in four of the team’s last five games, averaging 4.0 points on 83.3% shooting and 1.5 rebounds while playing 9.1 minutes a night.
While those stats ultimately will not move the needle for Brooklyn, for Wilson, it is one step closer to eventually being a regular part in Vaughn’s rotation. Minutes will be harder to come by for him once the team is healthy. But with the Nets entering the offseason with a handful of unrestricted free agents, and rumors that the team could be looking to make a splash before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, Wilson’s time could come sooner rather than later, which is what makes these reps so invaluable.
Wilson, signed to a two-way contract with the Nets, has averaged 19.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in the G League while shooting 50% from the field and 45.1% from 3-point range.
