The Memphis Grizzlies had two players named to the 2024-25 All-Rookie First Team. One of those was center Zach Edey. He wasn’t all that unexpected being he was a two-time Player of the Year in college and selected ninth overall in 2024. The one who nobody expected to see on there was guard Jaylen Wells. After a scary injury ended his 2024-25 season prematurely, Jaylen Wells was back in action during Saturday’s Summer League games.
First Team All-Rookie Member Returns To Court After Scary Injury
Jaylen Wells Plays In Summer League 3 Months After Injury
The NBA’s Summer League began with four contests taking place on Saturday. In one of them, the Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by the score of 92-80. It was the first time Memphis fans got to see Javon Small, the 48th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, wearing their favorite team’s jersey.
More importantly to Grizzlies fans, they also got to see the 21-year-old Wells return to action. Back on April 8, in a game against the Charlotte Hornets, Wells was undercut on a dunk attempt, landed hard, and needed to be stretchered off. The tumble broke his right wrist and left him with a concussion. He would miss the team’s last three regular season games, their two Play-In Tournament contests, and their opening round matchup against the Thunder.
Slightly less than three months later, Wells was back on the court. In the Grizzlies win on Saturday, he played 27 minutes, finishing with 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Wells made all seven of his free-throw attempts, and the team was a +11 with him on the court.
Memphis is scheduled to have their next Summer League affair on Monday when they take on the Utah Jazz.
Unexpected Rookie Year
As mentioned, Wells was a surprise inclusion on the 2024-25 All-Rookie First Team. That’s because the 6-foot-7 guard/forward wasn’t selected until the second round (37th overall) in the 2024 NBA Draft. After playing two years collegiately at Sonoma State, he transferred and spent his junior year at Washington State.
It wasn’t long before the Grizzlies and their fans noticed that they may have a draft steal on their hands. After coming off the bench for five games, Wells would be in Memphis’ starting lineup for their next 74 outings.
Playing 25.9 minutes per contest, Wells posted averages of 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He shot 42.5% from the field, 35.2% from beyond the arc, and 82.2% from the free-throw line. Wells would receive three first-place votes for 2024-25 Rookie of the Year, and winded up third in voting behind Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs and Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks. The November Rookie of the Month in the Western Conference was the only non-first round pick to receive any type of vote.
While it still would have been a long shot for Memphis to advance past OKC in the opening round of the playoffs if he played, they certainly missed Wells’ presence. It was wonderful seeing him back doing what he loves so soon after the injury.
Photo credit: © Mike Watters-Imagn Images
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