3 Risers, 1 faller from exciting Grizzlies Summer League

Faller: Jaylen Wells

Jaylen Wells came into the Summer League with a lot of hype attached to him.

Though he was selected in the early stages of the second round, following his impressive one-and-done season at Washington State last year, the 20-year-old was viewed by some scouts as a fringe first-round talent due, in large, to his impressive long-range shooting, an area where he cashed in on a whopping 41.7 percent of his 4.9 attempts per game in 2023-24.

As a result of his seemingly trusty shooting form, the Grizzlies decided to extend a full-time contract in his direction, with $3.4 million of his potential $7.9 million in earnings guaranteed.

Unfortunately for him, however, he hasn't yet proven the franchise right to invest in his potential, as his Summer League was incredibly difficult to watch for a multitude of reasons.

For every 28-point performance on 85.7 percent shooting from deep (as he had against the LA Clippers), Wells would seemingly have a 6-point game on 0-of-3 shooting from deep and 1-of-6 shooting from deep to cancel it out.

Even during the team's Championship matchup against the Heat, a game he was handed the starting two-guard spot for, the wing was nowhere to be found, as he registered a mere 8 points while shooting just 37.5 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from deep en route to, ultimately, fouling out and watching his team lose by two points.

Though hope is far from lost for Wells to live up to his deal and the decision by the Grizzlies to snatch him up with the 39 overall pick in June's draft, his highly inconsistent play and wonky jumper throughout Summer League were not what was expected from him.