Will Jalen get NBA try outs?
No
Will Jalen get NBA try outs?
Will Jalen get NBA try outs?
But Hewitt was preparing him for the NBA and turning him into a 3... so Paulsen robbed him of a future NBA careerJalen is kind of an archetype of a great college player whose game just doesn't translate to the next level. 6'7" post up specialists don't exist in today's NBA. His best bet to make a roster would be as a 3 and D guy, but he's spent his entire college career not taking threes and defending post players instead of swing players, so unless he's got some skills in the bag we've never seen before, it's not happening for him. Klay Thompson, Demar Derozan, Nick Young, Kyle Korver, etc. are all 6'7". The things expected at that height are much different in the NBA.
You could maybe look at Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and talk yourself into Jalen having a chance, but MKG is an out-of-this-world athlete who's already a stellar NBA level defender. Guys who are 6'7" and can play the 4 in the NBA are exceptions that prove the rule. I can't even think of another guy that size that's not at least a threat to step back and hit a 3.
Oh how I wish Jalen had another year with Paulsen. His development this year has been amazing - he's got nearly total command of his position and his role within the offense. He did a great job battling with Holloway last night (speaking of guys who need new coaching, Holloway can actually kind of play, which surprised me) and he's very comfortable playing the high post on one possession and the low post on the next. That's not always easy. His passing out of both post positions really opens up the offense, and he's become clinical at passing out of double-teams and finding shooters and cutters. Here's his assist rate in his four seasons:
Freshman: 12.0%
Sophomore: 12.7%
Junior: 5.6% (we were an awful shooting team, which partially explains this)
Senior: 17.1%
His PER follows a similar pattern and is peaking at 22.7 this year. I'll always feel robbed that he had two years of Hewitt, but at least Paulsen came along in time to salvage his senior season.
Will Jalen get NBA try outs?
Jalen is shooting 65.8% (75-114) from the field this season. He currently has the highest FG% in a season (minimum 100 attempts) for a Mason men's basketball player:
1. Jalen Jenkins (2016-17) - 65.8%
2. Will Thomas (2007-08) - 64.2
3. Robert Dykes (1990-91) - 63.3
4. Ricky Dillard (1983-84) - 63.2
5. Will Thomas (2006-07) - 62.7