Jaylen Wells is a player watch for the Memphis Grizzlies this coming season as he enters his third year in the NBA.
Memphis Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells is going into his third season in the NBA, and it sounds like he's looking to make some improvements to his game.
The 22-year-old, who has already said that he is working on reading pick-and-roll coverages better, was asked what else he has focused on this offseason, and he offered a comprehensive answer during an appearance on "Locked On Grizzlies."
"I think just creation," he began. "Ball-handling, creation, being more creative with the ball in my hands. ... Honestly, I just feel like it was just kinda like hooping in a sense. I needed to get that creativity back in my game. I feel like I lost it a little bit. But yeah, that's what I'd say, and then as far without a basketball, I feel like athletically, laterally quicker. Got a little stronger. I just feel a little bit more athletic, little bit faster."
Wells, the No. 39 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, came into the league and quickly exceeded expectations as a rookie. By his sixth game in the NBA, he was in the starting lineup, a role that he's held ever since.
Wells averaged 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in his debut season while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from long range. His status as a second-round pick didn't stop him from finishing third in the Rookie of the Year race and taking home All-Rookie First Team honors.
As a sophomore with the Grizzlies, the California native showed a little more growth, averaging 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game on similar efficiency to that of his rookie campaign. An injury did end his season slightly early for a second straight year, but not before he made 69 starts and appearances.
Now, he's getting ready for a season in which the Grizzlies are going to have a new look. This summer, a transformational one for Memphis, has seen the team trade away former franchise cornerstone Ja Morant and bring in prized rookie Cameron Boozer, who could become the new face of the organization.
Wells was on a solid Grizzlies team as a rookie. The group won 48 games in the regular season and reached the playoffs after surviving the play-in tournament. But last season's team struggled to the tune of a 25-57 record, and there is a good chance that the 2026-27 team will also end up near the bottom of the Western Conference, even if there are some believers in the building.
Regardless of how the upcoming season goes for Memphis, the future looks bright for the franchise, and Wells is going to have a chance to establish himself as a long-term piece of the Boozer era if he can keep making improvements each year. He has clearly been in the lab this summer, so he will be a player to watch when the season begins.
