Predicting the role for each Grizzlies rookie selected in 2024 NBA Draft

Jaylen Wells

Unlike Cam Spencer, Jaylen Wells is a second-round selection for Memphis who has already been extended a full-time spot on their 15 man roster heading into 2024-25.

While this may be quite an honor on the surface, such a happening adds more pressure and possesses a much shorter leash for the youngster in comparison, and, following his up-and-down Summer League showing, there may be fleeting confidence in his ability to contribute right from the jump.

At times, Wells produced like a borderline draft-day steal like during the team's win over the LA Clippers on July 21 where he displayed impressive creation and catch-and-shoot abilities en route to dropping a whopping 28 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor and 6-of-7 shooting from deep.

However, he would follow up such outings with performances such as the one he put forth during the Summer League Championship round, where he struggled with handling the rock (coughed up four turnovers), couldn't avoid fouls (ejected with six personals), and cashed in on just 3-of-8 from the floor and 1-of-3 from deep to finish with a mere 6 points.

Role: Back-end bench rotation player

With Ziaire Williams now out in Brooklyn, the Grizzlies have opened up roughly 12 to 20 minutes in playing time that remains up for grabs within coach Taylor Jenkins' rotation.

Though guys like GG Jackson, Santi Aldama, and Vince Williams Jr. are bound to eat into said minutes, anywhere from eight to 10 of them could be floated in Wells' way from time to time throughout his first year.

With these aforementioned players, along with others such as John Konchar and perhaps even Jake LaRavia (depends on how the rest of the offseason plays out) expected to see regular action on the hardwood, it's hard to believe that the 20-year-old will be an every game contributor for the club.

That said, with the uncertainty surrounding their frontcourt depth outside of Jaren Jackson Jr., there's a chance that the coaching staff will want to experiment with their new 6-foot-8 floor spacer at either the three or four periodically throughout the year.

The highs from his Washington State tenure (12.6 points on 41.7 percent shooting from deep) and during this year's Las Vegas tournament alone will likely prove to be enough to get him into the mix early on in the regular season.