Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells speaks to RG about the NBA Rookie of the Year race, his first All-Star Weekend and more (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
One year ago, as the game clock ticked down in Tucson, the Washington State Cougars were trailing 74-71 with 38 seconds left to go in a high-stakes Pac-12 matchup.
With Pelle Larson, Jaden Bradley and the Arizona Wildcats swarming the left side of the court and denying him the ball, Jaylen Wells watched from the wing as his teammate Myles Rice hoisted a three above the break. It was a misfire, but Cougars forward Andrej Jakimovski picked up the scraps in traffic as the rebound got away from Arizona big man Oumar Ballo.
After seeing his teammate come out of the pile with an extra chance, Wells backpedaled down the baseline from the restricted area to the corner, freeing himself up for a pass from Jakimovski. Wells caught the rock and immediately took a shot, with Keshad Johnson rushing to contest the triple try.
Not only did Wells drain the trey, but he also drew a foul in the process and completed a four-point play to give Wazzu the lead late. Followed up with an Isaac Jones block on Caleb Love, the Cougars emerged victorious on the road on a national stage, stunning the crowd at the McKale Center, 77-74.
Wells remembers it like it was yesterday.
“Probably just the silence in the gym,” Wells told RG in an exclusive interview on Sunday morning in Cleveland. “A great, fun game. That was probably our first national game we had, so it was good to be able to perform on that platform.”
Looking back, Wells’ career day was a small glimpse of what was to come.
Deserving Recognition
Averaging 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists while converting 37.4% of his 4.9 perimeter attempts per game, Wells' resume with the Memphis Grizzlies strongly supports his case for the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
“I mean, I don't really focus on it,” Wells told RG of the ROY race. “I'm focused on getting a championship. And if it just so happens... I feel like if I'm playing winning basketball, it should fall right into my hands. So that's kinda how my mindset is.”
The counting stats aren’t even telling the full story of his true impact.
Consider that Wells has started in 52 of his 57 total games this year for a top-two team in the Western Conference. The rest of his second-round class have combined for 37. That discrepancy is even more magnified when you compare the results.
The Grizzlies are 35-17 with Wells starting. His peers’ teams are collectively 8-29.
Despite Memphis closing a tough road trip with a tightly-contested 129-123 loss on national television, Wells made his mark on Sunday night.
On top of scoring 14 points on 4-for-7 from distance, the Grizzlies entrusted him with slowing down Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. Whether the All-Star had the ball or not, Wells was glued to his hip for 94 feet.
“I've watched him a bunch this season,” Mitchell said to RG in his postgame press conference.
“For a second-round rookie [to face] guys like myself, Dame [Lillard], Book [Devin Booker], Ant [Edwards], Steph [Curry], he's on the [scouting] report. That's a lot of respect to him.”
It should be noted that Wells has held Booker scoreless on 0-for-11 from the field in two games. According to NBA.com’s matchup data, Lillard had only six points on 2-for-12 from the field in their two games and Edwards is 5-for-15 with another game coming.
“Just being able to guard any All-Star,” Wells told RG of who his favorite assigned has been thus far. “Damian Lillard. Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. Just the ones that challenge me the most. Definitely Shai, Luka [Doncic]. Those are my favorite ones.”
“He has been tasked with a lot of the toughest matchups night in and night out,” Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said this past week. “I think his discipline is the thing that has really stood out the most. He is definitely having successful moments and growth moments, as well. When he makes a mistake, he really corrects it pretty quickly."
Though Wells didn’t have quite that same success against Mitchell, neither did Memphis as a team, to be fair. The All-Star attacked, made difficult shots and played with force en route to a 33-point night. It’s not the first time that a high-profile scorer has had his way with the rookie, either.
What matters is that Wells made his presence felt. Mitchell knew the 21-year-old swingman would put on a physical challenge as he prepared for the meeting, but even he was surprised to see much more.
What Rookie Wall?
Wells has a keen sense of playing off his teammates without the ball in his hands. He makes himself available beyond the arc, executes precise cuts and thrives in fastbreak situations.
Between 10-to-16 feet, he’s 21-for-30 from the field, per Basketball-Reference. Wells is also unafraid of getting downhill and using his slow-step move to put his defenders in awkward contesting positions.
“I'm just always trying to make the winning play,” Wells told RG. “Throughout my whole career, I've never been a ball-dominant person trying to ramp my stats. I'm just always trying to make the winning play, if that's rebounding, playing defense. So if I have to play more off-ball, I feel like I'm really good off-ball. It's a strength for me.”
As the NBA calendar begins to turn toward springtime, it is the point of the season when the league’s newcomers start to feel the effects of a nonstop professional sports schedule. The number of games, the time spent watching film in practice, and the hours upon hours of air travel accumulate to affect performance and mindset.
It’s a phenomenon referred to as “the rookie wall.” However, Wells fights against that idea.
“I don't really know what that is,” Wells said.
“I don't really believe in it. I just think there's always gonna be ups and downs in any person's season. So it's just figuring out how to find a positive in all the negatives.”
Durable and dependable, Wells has successfully evaded the assumptive lulls that have hindered so many who have been in his shoes, past and present.
“Honestly, I think a lot of it came from going from D-II, just to be able to do it on my own in a lot of ways and having as many resources [in Memphis],” Wells said. “I did a lot of things on my own, just created my own routines. So being able to take those routines and use them on the road when we're not in the facilities, I think that's probably the biggest thing. I mean, I just love to play basketball, so any chance I can play, I'mma be out there.”
In Sunday’s pregame press conference, RG followed up with Jenkins on his comments and why Wells has been able to break through.
“I think it starts with awareness,” Jenkins said. “For guys coming into their rookie season, there’s gonna be a lot of stuff thrown at them — on the court, off the court, career-wise, personal-wise. They’re gonna hear all the stories from the vets and the coaches, ‘This is what’s on the horizon,’ and he’s just taking it one day at a time. I think he’s found consistency. That’s probably one of his greatest strengths. He never gets fazed in terms of highs or lows. He’s just gonna come in and do his work, do his job, try to impact winning."
It All Comes Full Circle
Just 10 days ago, Wells found himself in San Francisco for the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, about 90 miles south of his hometown of Sacramento, California.
A Western Conference Rookie of the Month winner for October/November and one of six rookies to score 30 points in a game this season, Wells was named to the Rising Stars team in late January. He ended up playing for Candace Parker’s Team C, which won twice to advance to the newly instituted NBA All-Star Game tournament.
A Rising Stars squad participated in the marquee event for the first time in history, squaring off with Shaquille O’Neal’s OGs. Team C gave those veterans everything they could handle in a valiant effort. Wells competed to the end, guarding Lillard as if it were the playoffs.
Wells enjoyed being a part of the action on the floor, but something else struck him the most from his first All-Star Weekend experience.
“Seeing Mr. Beast, I always watch his YouTube videos!” Wells told RG with a smile. “Druski, I think that was pretty cool. It's the celebrities you didn't really expect to be there.
“It was kinda surreal. I really enjoyed just being able to see the behind-the-scenes and stuff like that. Also as a kid, you grew up watching; you really only see the events happen. But being able to be behind the scenes and see it all put together is pretty cool.”
From being a two-year varsity athlete at Folsom High School to earning California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year honors at Sonoma State in Division II, to bursting onto the scene at Washington State and now playing alongside and against the best in the world on a global stage, Wells’ ascent has happened in the blink of an eye.
“That kid is good,” Mitchell said.
Spencer Davies has covered the NBA and the Cleveland Cavaliers as a credentialed reporter for the past nine seasons. His work has appeared on Basketball News, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, FOX Sports, HoopsHype, CloseUp360, FanSided and Basketball Insiders among others. In addition to his work in journalism, he has been a senior editor, a digital production assistant, social media manager and a sports radio anchor and producer.
