Grading Jaylen Wells' Grizzlies debut: Shooting is a necessity

When the Grizzlies selected Jaylen Wells with the 39th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, the thought was to add depth at the wing position where you can never have too many players. Although he signed a contract with the team instead of beginning on a two-way contract, he wasn't expected to play much in the early going.

However, injuries to GG Jackson, Vince Williams Jr., Luke Kennard, and stellar preseason play opened the opportunity for Jaylen Wells to be called on in the season opener. He looked great to begin but cooled off significantly as the game continued.

After finishing his regular season debut shooting 2-5 and 0-2 from the free throw line, Wells displayed the poise that the team needs from depth pieces but also showed the rookie mistakes you'd expect to see. He is prepared to carve out a role for the team as early as this season but there are steps left to be made.

Shooting is his NBA role

Jaylen Wells entered the game with Scotty Pippen Jr. as the first players off the bench for the Grizzlies with a little over eight minutes remaining in the first quarter. He instantly made an impact in his role, making a three off a Ja Morant pass on his first shot of his NBA regular season career.

He then made another three later in the quarter before finishing the first with six points on 2-3 shooting from three. He went on to miss his final three shot attempts for the game along with two missed free throw attempts in the second quarter.

Jaylen Wells carried his preseason momentum into the regular season and looked like a player who had already been in the league in his minutes early in the game but struggled throughout the second half. His volume was shorter than what it felt like it would be when he first entered the game but that happens with bench players.

Another improvement Wells can work on is consistency on the defensive end. As the game continued, Wells' defense began to be taken advantage of by the Jazz after an overall solid team defensive effort in the first half. There was a sequence in the fourth quarter where Wells got caught reaching in that led to a shooting foul and him going to the bench for good.

Consistency is key, and Jaylen Wells' NBA debut lacked that but it was a positive debut for him nonetheless.

Final grade: B