BYU Transfer Scouting Report: Jake Wahlin

Jake Wahlin is one of the most experienced college basketball players Kevin Young has added from the transfer portal since he became head coach at BYU.

The versatile wing began his career at Utah, where he spent two seasons competing in both the Pac-12 and Big 12. He then transferred to Clemson, playing this past year in the ACC. Now, he returns to Provo—the place where he starred in high school—and back to the Big 12, the conference he last played in as a sophomore.

This season, Wahlin averaged 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game for the Tigers while shooting 34% from three on 100 attempts.

However, the box score doesn't completely do justice to show what kind of player he is or how he impacts the game.

Let’s break things down and take a deeper dive.

Shooting Profile and Play Style

Jake Wahlin shooting zones — CBB Analytics

Wahlin’s offensive identity is pretty clear. He’s a guy who loves to stretch the floor. 63% of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc, placing him in the 91st percentile in three-point attempt rate. 42% of his attempts came from above the break and 21% came from the corners. Only about a third of his scoring came in the paint and at the rim.

Inside the arc, Wahlin’s volume was extremely limited. He had just 1.7 two-point attempts per game. Only about a third of all his shots came in the paint and at the rim.

There’s almost no midrange presence in his game. Only 9% of his shots came from that area of the floor, taking just four all year long.

Efficiency and Offensive Production

Jake Wahlin field goal percentage — CBB Analytics

Wahlin’s efficiency was pretty good this season for how Clemson utilized him. His effective field goal percentage was a solid 51%. Overall, he has good shot selection. He rarely forces bad looks and has a strong basketball IQ.

Wahlin shot 34% from deep on the season and 37% in ACC play. When he stretched the floor, he was 23/66 (35%) on above the break threes and 11/34 (32%) from the corners.

In the paint, he shot 8/14 (57%) and at the rim, he was 22/41 (54%).

Even though he mostly shoots threes, Wahlin will need to improve at the rim next season if he wants to take his game up a level. With his size and mobility, he should look to draw more bigs out to the perimeter and use shot fakes to drive past them and attack the basket.

It would also be nice to see Wahlin get more comfortable taking shots in the midrange and creating more separation for himself there.

As a passer, Wahlin plays a minimal role. He averaged just 0.7 assists per game with a 6% assist rate. He is definitely more of a connector than a creator, so that’s another area where he can expand his game.

Defensive Impact and Limitations

This is where Wahlin’s value starts to show more clearly. His defensive metrics are strong across the board.

He had a 3.2 Defensive Regularized Adjusted Plus/Minus (DRAPM), which ranked in the 97th percentile. In other words, Clemson allowed 3.2 fewer points per 100 possessions when Wahlin was on the floor.

On EvanMiya.com, Wahlin is projected to have a significant defensive impact for BYU next season.

Jake Wahlin defensive projection — EvanMiya.com

Wahlin also had a 1.92 Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating (DBPR), a similar metric to DRAPM. On BYU’s roster this past year, only Keba Keita, Khadim Mboup, AJ Dybantsa, and Dominique Diomande graded higher. Of the returning players for next season, Mboup is the only one who was rated ahead of him.

1.92 isn't necessarily an elite rating, but it's one that is above average and indicates strong defensive upside.

Wahlin has good positional size and uses it well. He doesn’t get a ton of steals or blocks but he’s fundamentally sound and rarely out of position. He does a decent job at defending without fouling (60th percentile in fouls per game) but can still improve there.

An underrated aspect of Wahlin’s game is his defensive rebounding. He averaged 3.1 defensive boards per game and ranked in the 72nd percentile in defensive rebounding percentage. BYU will look for him to continue leveraging his size to crash the boards on that end next season.

The main question will be his defensive versatility. Can he keep up with quick guards on switches or will he continue to only defend well when he’s matched up against bigs?

Fit in BYU's System

One of the main reasons Young brought in Wahlin was his ability to stretch the floor. At 6’10”, players with that kind of shooting touch are rare—especially ones who have proven it against power conference opponents. That player profile is perfect for the NBA-style offense Young likes to run.

BYU will depend on Wahlin to knock down open looks from three. He will likely be utilized the same way Mihailo Boskovic was used by the staff.

However, Wahlin’s impact may go beyond shooting. His defensive metrics suggest he could be a quietly important piece on that end. If he can maintain or even exceed his level of discipline at Clemson, he’ll carve a significant role for himself. The Cougars will also rely on him to crash the boards.

Ultimately, Wahlin projects as a complementary piece to BYU’s core. He won’t have a high usage rate but will be key to making winning plays. More than anything, the team just needs consistent production and effort from him.

His veteran presence in the locker room will be incredibly valuable for the program as well.

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