Jaylen Wells Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies’ Jaylen Wells Expected To Miss Rest Of Season

April 11th, 2025 at 3:18pm CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies have issued a medical update on Jaylen Wells, announcing (via Twitter) that the 21-year-old is “likely” to miss the rest of the 2024/25 season after sustaining a fractured right wrist on Tuesday in Charlotte.

According to the Grizzlies, Wells also suffered a concussion and facial laceration after being fouled on a fast-break dunk in the second quarter (YouTube link). He landed with all of his weight on his head and wrist and was carried off the court on a stretcher.

The good news is that Wells is expected to make a full recovery, per the team. He was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday and attended Thursday’s shootaround.

Wells was one of the season’s top rookies after being selected 39th overall in last year’s draft. The 6’7″ wing appeared in 79 games for Memphis, including 74 starts, averaging 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists on .425/.352/.822 shooting in 25.9 minutes per contest. He was also frequently tasked with defending the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer.

With Wells out, Vince Williams Jr. got the starting nod during Thursday’s loss to Minnesota. Scotty Pippen Jr. also had an uptick in playing time.

Memphis currently 47-33, the No. 7 seed in the West.

Injury Notes: Ivey, Ingram, Wells, T. Jones

April 10th, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Jaden Ivey continues to progress in his recovery from the broken left fibula he suffered on New Year’s Day, according to the Pistons, who announced on Thursday (via Twitter) that the third-year guard has been cleared for basketball activities.

Ivey is entering the initial phase of his reconditioning program and will continue to progress in his on-court work, the team stated, adding that he’ll be reevaluated in two weeks.

While Ivey obviously won’t make it back during the regular season, it’s worth noting that the Pistons have yet to formally rule him out for the postseason. Detroit has clinched a playoff spot and will be in the midst of the conference quarterfinals in two weeks.

Of course, there’s still no guarantee that Ivey will be able to return and contribute in the playoffs, but the longer the Pistons can stay alive, the better the odds are that he’ll have a chance to play again this spring.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has been shut down for the rest of the 2024/25 season after receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his injured left ankle this week, head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters on Wednesday (story via Ian Harrison of The Associated Press). Ingram, acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline, has yet to make his Raptors debut, having been out with his ankle injury since early December. “It’s what he needs,” Rajakovic said of the injection, adding that Ingram is expected to be good to go for training camp in the fall. “He’s been recovering really well.”
After being discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells was in attendance at the team’s shootaround on Thursday, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Wells, who fractured his wrist and sustained a facial laceration as a result of the hard fall he took in Tuesday’s game, won’t be able to return to action anytime soon, but was “in decent spirits” on Thursday, according to Grizzlies wing Vince Williams.
Bulls point guard Tre Jones, who sprained his left foot last month, still doesn’t appear close to returning to action. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Jones was still wearing a walking boot as of Wednesday night. While the team hasn’t provided an official update recently, it seems increasingly unlikely that the veteran guard will have a chance to return this season unless the Bulls advance beyond the play-in tournament.

Hornets Notes: Simpson, Wells, Salaün, Flagg, G. Williams

April 9th, 2025 at 12:06pm CST by Rory Maher

Hornets guard KJ Simpson took to social media (Twitter links) to profusely apologize to Jaylen Wells, who was taken off the court on a stretcher and sustained a broken right wrist after being fouled by Simpson while he was in the air going up for a dunk (YouTube link). Simpson was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul upon review.

“My prayers are with @jaylen_wells, I know we already spoke and are good friends bro but again I just wanted to express not only to J but to his family as well how deeply sorry I am,” Simpson wrote. “I would never purposely do that to anyone. I’m just extremely sorry.

“Especially with the talent J is. I know he’s gonna be special and just from the many times our paths have crossed I’m blessed to know he’s an even better person with an amazing story. I just wanted to again say sorry to J and his family I can’t say it enough.”

The Grizzlies wing accepted Simpson’s apologies, replying (via Twitter), “Much love brother. Thank you.”

Here’s more on the Hornets:

No. 6 overall pick Tidjane Salaün is wrapping up his first season with Charlotte. While the 19-year-old has struggled with efficiency during his rookie campaign, he has looked much more comfortable — and been more productive — since the start of March, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The French forward says he wants to improve in multiple areas in the offseason. “I would like to continue to develop some winning habits,” Salaün said. “Get faster on defense, keep blocking out the player and on offense, play my game, try to develop my ball-handling, some good passes and keep the game simple. And be the most efficient. That’s it.”
Winning the draft lottery would give the Hornets the opportunity to select consensus top prospect Cooper Flagg, who just finished his freshman season at Duke. In a column for The Charlotte Observer, Scott Fowler explains why he thinks landing with the Hornets could be a good thing for Flagg, whose family lived in North Carolina while he was attending college. Instead of going to a team with a track record of success, Flagg could become an icon in the area if he’s able to help turn the Hornets into a winner, Fowler notes. Charlotte has the NBA’s longest postseason drought, last making the playoffs in 2016.
2024/25 has been a disappointing season for the Hornets, with injuries once again being a major issue. Forward Grant Williams, who tore the ACL in his right knee in November, says he’s making good progress in his recovery, according to Boone. “I’m feeling great, positive,” Williams told Boone. “That’s really the one word that I’ve tried to stay consistent with throughout this whole process. … The team, they are not rushing me. They are just focused on making sure I get better every single day and taking it one day at a time. I’m trying my best just to stay focused on the moment, and attacking every single little thing with the right mentality and come back stronger than I was before.”

Grizzlies’ Jaylen Wells Diagnosed With Broken Wrist After Fall

April 8th, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:42 pm: Wells has a broken right wrist, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. The Grizzlies rookie is able to move his extremities and will continue to receive medical care.

8:19 pm: Grizzlies rookie forward Jaylen Wells was taken off the court on a stretcher on Tuesday after a hard fall while getting fouled on a dunk late in the first half at Charlotte, according to ESPN.

Wells was fouled from behind on Hornets guard KJ Simpson and landed face first on the court. Upon an official review, Simpson was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul, resulting in an automatic ejection.

Fred Wells, Jaylen’s father, posted on Twitter that “Jaylen is awake and alert. Wanted 2 know the score! Swollen wrist. Face, jaw and back pain. About to get X-ray and CT.”

Wells, drafted with the No. 39 pick, has been one of the league’s most accomplished rookies this season. He quickly emerged as a starter, averaging 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in just over 26.1 minutes while appearing in every game. He’s also one of the Grizzlies’ top perimeter defenders.

If Wells has to miss some time, it could seriously hamper Memphis in the postseason. The Grizzlies are currently tied with three other teams with a 46-32 record and are trying to avoid the play-in tournament. It’s been a tumultuous time as of late for the team, which recently fired head coach Taylor Jenkins.

Vince Williams Jr. figures to absorb a majority of Wells’ minutes if he’s sidelined, with John Konchar also getting a bump in playing time.

Southwest Notes: Wells, Rockets, Champagnie, Pelicans

March 26th, 2025 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Although he has fallen to fourth in the betting odds for Rookie of the Year, Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells has “exceeded expectations” in his first NBA season, according to head coach Taylor Jenkins, who says Wells’ consistency has “blown us away,” per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.

Fellow rookies Stephon Castle, Alex Sarr, and Zaccharie Risacher have surpassed Wells in terms of scoring and may finish ahead of him in Rookie of the Year voting. However, Jenkins insists that Wells’ all-around impact for a team positioned to make the playoffs shouldn’t be overlooked. The former Washington State standout has handled challenging defensive assignments and knocked down 35.6% of his three-pointers as a complementary option on offense.

“It’s impact on winning,” Jenkins said, according to Medina. “Obviously, we still have a lot more basketball left in the season to see where this team is going to end up. But he’s kind of entrenched himself in First Team All-Rookie for sure. Everyone is going to look at the stat lines, this, that and the other. But his opportunity, he’s playing a unique role where he’s not one of the featured guys offensively. But he’s got great offensive numbers.”

Wells, who spoke at length to Medina about his rookie season and how much he enjoys guarding the top scorers on opposing teams, said that the Rookie of the Year award is “not really something I’m striving for.”

“When you’re on a team like this that has an opportunity to win a championship like this, that’s the main goal,” Wells said. “That’s the end-of-the-season award that I’m looking forward to — a championship. If it happens while playing winning basketball, then I would love to have that (Rookie of the Year) award. But it’s not the number one goal on my list.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

The Rockets‘ twin-tower lineup featuring Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams has been remarkably successful and could come in handy during the postseason this spring, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Through 117 minutes across 17 games, lineups featuring the two centers have an outstanding +33.3 net rating and a 50.0% offensive rebounding rate. “It’s been real big for us,” forward Jabari Smith Jr. said. “I see the numbers on it are crazy. When we get a shot with that offense, it’s almost a 50 percent chance that we’re going to get a rebound, especially with me in there too — I’m crashing too. It’s a great staple. And then with the zone, you got three almost 6-(foot)-10-plus people out there. It’s tough. It’s a good wrinkle we found. I’m glad we found it.”
Spurs forward Julian Champagnie spoke to Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda about how he’s grown in in his second full season in San Antonio, the impact that veteran leaders Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes have had on him, and what has most impressed him about teammates Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, among other topics.
Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) previews the Pelicans‘ offseason, explaining why he views CJ McCollum as a stronger candidate to be extended than traded and touching on several other decisions facing the team, including whether to entertain trading Zion Williamson and whether to retain head coach Willie Green.

Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Wells, Edey, Williams, Allen

March 15th, 2025 at 7:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ja Morant turned in one of his best games of the season, but it wasn’t enough to give the Grizzlies a chance to beat Cleveland Friday night, writes William Guillory of The Athletic. Even though the star guard posted 44 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, the Cavaliers extended their win streak to 16 games with a convincing 133-124 victory.

“We didn’t come out with the right mindset,” Desmond Bane said. “We messed up some coverages early in the game and allowed them to get comfortable. When a good team like that gets comfortable, it’s going to be a long night.”

Losing to elite teams has been a frequent problem for the Grizzlies, Guillory notes, despite the fact that they’re 42-25 and entered Friday’s game second in the West. They’re just 1-5 in the six games they’ve played against Cleveland, Boston and Oklahoma City, and they’ve trailed by at least 20 points in four of the five losses.

“They’re good teams. They’re on a roll,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said. “We’ve just got to be better defensively in those situations. We can’t make excuses about anything, even when we’re not shooting well. We’ve got to be able to guard.”

There’s more from Memphis:

The Grizzlies have been starting rookies Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey for much of the season, but coach Taylor Jenkins has been reducing their playing time lately, Guillory adds. Wells was limited to 17 minutes Friday night and Edey played 11 as the Cavs became the latest team to target them both on defense and offense. Scotty Pippen Jr. and Brandon Clarke provided strong minutes off the bench, but Guillory states that Jenkins is still searching for effective combinations to go alongside Morant, Bane and Jackson.
Morant is missing Saturday’s game against Miami due to soreness in his right shoulder, the Grizzlies announced (via Twitter). Vince Williams Jr. is also being held out because of pain in his right ankle.
Tonight marks the jersey retirement ceremony for Grizzlies legend Tony Allen, who played in Memphis from 2010-17. Known as “The Grindfather,” Allen embodied the “Grit ‘n’ Grind” spirit of the teams from that era. Longtime teammate Mike Conley couldn’t attend because of his duties with the Timberwolves, but he sent a video message, tweets Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. “We embraced it. It became our identity,” Conley said. “I’m not the loudest person or most physical person in the world, but I felt like I was when I was out there with Tony and Marc (Gasol) and Zach (Randolph). Together we were like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna beat you up.’ That’s just who we felt like we were, and it kind of started with that phrase and the personnel behind it because we didn’t just say it, we actually believed it and acted on that. And nobody could tell us different.”

And-Ones: Flagg, 2025 Draft, Hayes, Kaminsky, Records, RoY

March 13th, 2025 at 4:43pm CST by Rory Maher

Duke forward Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, sustained a left ankle injury after corralling a rebound and landing on an opponent’s foot in the first half on Thursday vs. Georgia Tech (YouTube link via ESPN).

Flagg was eventually helped to the locker room with the assistance of teammates, and while he was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest, he was at least able to return to the bench to cheer on the comeback victory.

“He sprained his ankle,” head coach Jon Scheyer said (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com). “X-rays were negative, which is great. We just have to understand there’s going to be swelling and to see how he recovers and how he goes from there.”

In their latest 2025 mock draft for ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) unsurprisingly have Flagg going first overall (to Washington). Two other Blue Devils — center Khaman Maluach and wing Kon Knueppel — also go in the lottery, coming off the board with back-to-back picks (seventh and eighth overall, respectively).

UConn’s Liam McNeeley is the final lottery pick of ESPN’s mock, going 14th to Atlanta (via Sacramento), while South East Melbourne forward Malique Lewis is the last player selected at No. 59 (Cleveland). Lewis, who spent last season in the G League with the Mexico City Capitanes, grew up in Trinidad and Tobago.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Killian Hayes has rejoined the Long Island Nets following a 10-day contract with Brooklyn, the G League team announced today in a press release. The former lottery pick averaged 9.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in six games with Brooklyn from February 20 – March 1. He has spent most of ’24/25 with Long Island.
Veteran NBA big man Frank Kaminsky is no longer on the Raptors 905 roster, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who points out (via Twitter) that the former Wisconsin star has been battling a knee injury and recently announced he and his wife are expecting a child. Kaminsky, who spent last season in Serbia, last played in the NBA with Houston in ’22/23. The 31-year-old appeared in 23 regular season games with Toronto’s NBAGL affiliate in ’24/25, averaging 12.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 4.1 APG on .483/.349/.769 shooting in 26.8 MPG.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst takes a look at some of the NBA’s most unbreakable records. Some records are season-long (Wilt Chamberlain for multiple statistics in ’61/62), some are career-long (Moses Malone‘s 6,731 offensive rebounds), and some are for a single game.
Zach Harper of The Athletic checks in on the underwhelming Rookie of the Year race. Harper currently has Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells as his top choice for the award, followed by Spurs guard Stephon Castle and Wells’ teammate Zach Edey.

And-Ones: Eaglestaff, Kyrie, Australia, MVP Race, Rookies, More

March 12th, 2025 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

North Dakota junior Treysen Eaglestaff will enter the NCAA’s transfer portal while testing the NBA draft waters, agent George S. Langberg tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

Eaglestaff wasn’t included in Givony’s most recent top-100 list of prospects for the 2025 draft, but he had a strong season as a scorer for the Fighting Hawks in 2024/25, averaging 18.9 points per game on 416/.359/.794 shooting in 33 outings.

Eaglestaff’s scoring average was buoyed by some massive performances, including a 51-point outburst in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament against South Dakota State last Friday. The 6’6″ shooting guard also put up 40 points in a loss to Alabama on December 18. He knocked down a career-high eight three-pointers in both of those games.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

There may be too many hurdles to clear to make it actually happen, but after Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving expressed interest in playing for the Australian national team at the 2028 Olympics, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels is fully on board with the idea, per Grant Afseth of RG.org. “Oh yeah, I love it. I love it,” Daniels said. “I know he wants to do it. We want him to come play for us. There’s a lot of stuff that has to get cleared for him to come play, but we welcome him with open arms. He’s a brother. He’s an Australian.” Irving has Australian citizenship, but he previously played for Team USA in international competitions, so both USA Basketball and FIBA would need to sign off for him to play for the Boomers.
In a pair of stories for The Athletic, one panel of NBA writers debates which player is most deserving of this season’s MVP award, while another panel takes a closer look at an uninspiring race for the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference. While a recent three-game winning streak for the Bulls has put them in prime position for a play-in spot, the general consensus on the MVP race is that it remains too close to call between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
Elsewhere at the Athletic, draft expert Sam Vecenie has updated his rookie rankings for the 2024/25 class, placing a pair of Grizzlies – Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey – in his top three, sandwiching Spurs guard Stephon Castle at No. 2. First overall pick Zaccharie Risacher of the Hawks and Heat big man Kel’el Ware round out Vecenie’s top five.
It has been five years since the NBA shut down its 2019/20 season due to COVID-19. In an extensive oral history, Baxter Holmes and Tim MacMahon of ESPN revisit that period, sharing a number of interesting behind-the-scenes details on how the league came to its decision and how teams and players reacted.

Southwest Notes: Wells, Boston, Pelicans, VanVleet

February 26th, 2025 at 7:27pm CST by Rory Maher

Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells has been one of the pleasant surprises of last year’s rookie class. As Spencer Davies of RG.org writes, the 21-year-old has been not just a rotation mainstay but a starter for the West’s No. 2 seed, averaging 11.4 points and 3.2 rebounds on .451/.382/.824 shooting in 25.8 minutes per game while taking on challenging defensive assignments. He also hasn’t missed a game thus far in 2024/25.

Wells is used to being underestimated, having played at Division II Sonoma State prior to transferring to Washington for the ’23/24 campaign. Despite being a second-round pick (No. 39 overall), he currently has the second-best betting odds for Rookie of the Year, only trailing Stephon Castle of the Spurs.

“I mean, I don’t really focus on it,” Wells told Davies 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.”

According to Davies, Wells’ play has gotten the attention of several stars, including Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, who recently faced off against Wells and Memphis.

“On the offensive end, I didn’t know he shot it as well as he did, with confidence. He’s kind of made himself a staple over there,” Mitchell said. “They really rely on him to disrupt a lot of different things. He’s definitely really talented, and he’s only gonna get better. I give him a lot of credit for continuing to be that player and not really tripping on if I score or he gets scored on, or if he makes shots, doesn’t make shots. He’s been that way. I’ve been watching it all year, first time in person.”

Here are a few more notes from the Southwest Division:

Fourth-year guard Brandon Boston Jr. received a two-year, minimum-salary contract with a team option for ’25/26 when he was promoted by the Pelicans, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). As Scotto notes, it’s possible New Orleans could decline that option in order to give Boston a longer-term deal in the offseason, though he couldn’t be made a restricted free agent in that scenario.
Boston (left ankle sprain), Bruce Brown (return to play reconditioning) and Kelly Olynyk (rest) are among seven Pelicans who will be sidelined for Thursday’s contest at Phoenix, per Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. It will be the seventh straight missed game for Boston, who last played on February 8. Veterans Brown and Olynyk, who were acquired from Toronto in the Brandon Ingram trade, are likely being held out of the first end of a back-to-back for precautionary reasons after missing most of the season while recovering from injuries.
Rockets guard Fred VanVleet has been sidelined since Feb. 1 due to a right ankle strain. His ankle’s range of motion is around 80% right now, according to head coach Ime Udoka, so he’ll be out again Wednesday, with the earliest he could return being Saturday vs. Sacramento (subscriber-only story via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). VanVleet is averaging 14.6 points, 5.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 45 games this season (35.5 MPG).

Southwest Notes: Jackson, Thompson, Sheppard, Sengun, Wembanyama

February 15th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Making his second All-Star appearance in three years, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is living out a childhood dream, writes Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. Jackson, a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year honors, used to imagine himself in the All-Star spotlight when he was learning the game as a child.

“When I went in my yard, I liked to pretend I was KD (Kevin Durant), T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) or Kobe (Bryant),” Jackson said. “I just imagined being one of those superheroes on the court. I think this feeling is way better than how I imagined it, honestly. It’s more meaningful. It’s way more impactful. Especially when you have your family with you. You don’t think about all those other things and how many other people are going to be happy about this with you.”

The new All-Star format could give Jackson a chance to face two of his Grizzlies teammates Sunday night, Cole adds. Rookies Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey were both on the team that won Friday’s Rising Stars event. They’re not paired up with Jackson’s team in the semifinals, but they could meet in the final round if they both advance.

“I want to dunk on both of them,” Jackson said. “I can’t wait.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard were also in the Rising Stars tournament as the latest representatives of the Rockets, who’ve had at least one player involved every year since 2022, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. They were on opposite sides in one of Friday’s semifinals, as Thompson got the satisfaction of dunking on his teammate, but Sheppard’s squad came away with the victory. “The Rockets do a good job of getting young guys and making them better,” Sheppard said. “And Amen is an unbelievable talent, unbelievable guy. So being able to be out there with him today was a lot fun.”
Rockets center Alperen Sengun, a first-time All-Star, credits coach Ime Udoka for pushing him and the team in the right direction, Lerner adds in a separate story. Udoka sped up the rebuilding process in Houston by leading the Rockets to a .500 finish last season, and he currently has them fourth in the West. “We were just going over there and just playing,” Sengun said at his All-Star press conference. “Then Ime just came and changed everything for us, and he teach us to how to win.”
A lack of competitiveness has been a problem in recent All-Star Games, but that won’t be an issue for the Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama has become known for his desire to win at everything he does, and he’ll take that attitude into Sunday night. “I guess it’s maybe innate,” he said. “But it was definitely encouraged in our family’s culture around sport, of course. But I don’t know. I just feel lucky to have that will to stay true to myself.” Wembanyama and Chris Paul were disqualified from tonight’s Skills Challenge for flouting the rules (Twitter video link).