Jaylen Wells' NBA journey took an unexpected route for the better as he became a mainstay in the Grizzlies' starting lineup last season. Unfortunately, a late-season broken wrist injury prevented him from getting valuable playoff experience in his rookie season, but the upcoming second-year wing will be asked to take on a bigger load.
The Memphis Grizzlies traded former starting shooting guard Desmond Bane this offseason in return for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (KCP), two draft picks that turned into Cedric Coward, among other picks. KCP is expected to start alongside Wells to begin the season, but the team hopes that either Coward or GG Jackson takes the mantle of becoming the starting small forward and moving Wells to shooting guard.
The team has high hopes for Jaylen Wells' progression in new coach Tuomas Iisalo's system, and his development could determine just how good the Grizzlies can be in the 2025-26 season.
Jaylen Wells is the X-Factor to the Grizzlies' success this season
The Grizzlies made a bold statement when they traded Desmond Bane without returning another star-level player. Jaylen Wells is expected to be a part of the team's present and future, and they are ready for him to take on a higher offensive load. Desmond Bane averaged 20.7 points in his last four seasons as the starting shooting guard for the team, and Wells will need to be a part of a committee to replace that production.
Wells proved to be a great 3-and-D wing next to Bane and Ja Morant last season, but with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a similar style player, GG Jackson's defensive shortcomings, and Cedric Coward being an unknown as a rookie, he will be asked to provide offense after Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the starting unit. Asking Wells to up his scoring from 10.4 points as a rookie to 20 points while defending the opponent's best player is a tall ask.
The Grizzlies also added guard Ty Jerome to provide some of that scoring void off the bench, so Wells shouldn't be expected to make that big of a leap. However, asking him to increase his scoring to 13-15 points and shooting in the high 30s from three should be a reasonable expectation from the NBA All-Rookie first team member.
He will get help in defending the best perimeter player from the opposing team with Caldwell-Pope in the lineup with him, which will help open his offensive game to more pull-up opportunities instead of strictly as a spot-up shooter. Jaylen Wells has a chance to solidify his place as Ja Morant's backcourt mate for years to come, and judging by how he handled being thrown into the fire last season, he will be ready to answer the call.