The irony wasn’t lost on Jalen Wilson.
The Nets wing is just a year into his NBA career, but already found himself at a Brooklyn camp talking to local schoolkids.
It seemed like yesterday that Wilson was coming to camps like this himself.
But now the 23-year-old is part of a youth movement for the rebuilding Nets.
Overnight — or, ever since the Mikal Bridges trade kickstarted their rebuild — Wilson finds himself with no less than seven teammates actually younger than him.
He let out a laugh when that was pointed out to him.
There is responsibility now. But moreover, there is opportunity.
“Of course,” Wilson told The Post. “I think we all knew that going into Summer League, the opportunity that we had as far as all the young guys having the chance to really play this year. So I just take every single day and every single opportunity I’m handed as a blessing, and I want to attack everything.
“I started off with Summer League and now the summer and going to training camp and things like that. So it’s taking advantage of opportunity. You know, that’s all you ask for as a young guy in the NBA is the opportunity to play and get to showcase what you can do.”
Given the chance to shine in Las Vegas last month, Wilson was named the Summer League MVP after averaging 21.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in five games.
Wilson, a second-round pick from Kansas last year, has never lacked self-belief.
But his performance in Las Vegas has only buoyed his confidence as he looks to earn a spot in the Nets rotation.
“I think everything in life, accomplishments are always good to go for,” Wilson said. “And once you get them, you just have to set new ones.
“You can never get complacent with where things are. And that’s where I’m at. I’m just shooting for more goals, shooting for more achievements. Now that I’m here back in town, you have the opportunity to get in the gym every single day and get better. So you know, when the time comes, that you’re prepared.”
Shooting is the operative word.
Despite being the Big 12 Player of the Year, Wilson fell to the Nets at 51st overall in the 2023 draft largely over doubts about his lack of 3-point shooting.
Wilson shot just 31.6 percent on 3-pointers in college, just 27.5 percent as a rookie for Long Island in the G League and 32.4 percent in the NBA.
But he drilled a stellar 55.0 percent from beyond the arc through five games in Las Vegas.
“I would say the main thing is first just getting the reps in. If you don’t get the gym you know, it’s not going to happen,” Wilson said. “A lot of the times, you want to have good misses if you’re gonna miss. So shooting everything long, right? I think nothing short. But like I said, it’s having the confidence in your shot, I feel like that’s the main thing. If you’re coming off a screen or you’re getting a pass, and in your mind you know it’s going in already, that’s the main part.”
“And that confidence comes with the reps, it comes with the repetition, and seeing it go in in the game. Every time you make a 3 in the game, I feel like every player gets that boost. That’s what you want to feel. So you’ve got to put in the work to do it. And I would say reps is the most important thing, consistently no matter if your shot’s feeling good at practice or not, you’ve got to just keep working, keep getting the reps in.”
The Nets preseason schedule has been announced.
After starting training camp in Brooklyn, they’ll finish it in Southern California and play the Clippers on Oct. 8 in San Diego. They’ll return home to host the Wizards on Oct. 14, play at Philadelphia two days later and wrap up the preseason at home against the Raptors on Oct. 18.
