The Rookie of the Year race appears to be a foregone conclusion with less than a month remaining in the regular season as injuries to the San Antonio Spurs stars have opened the door for Stephon Castle to pad his stats. The Spurs' rookie guard from UCONN has held on to the top spot in the Kia Rookie Ladder since the end of January and is the odds-on favorite to win the coveted award.
It doesn't help Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells' case that he has struggled mightily since March began. He is shooting 32.2% from the field and 25.4% from three in March ahead of their game tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers. Due to his struggles, he slipped one spot in the new Rookie Ladder.
Jaylen Wells falls to number 3
The number one overall pick of the draft, Zaccharie Risacher, leaped over Jaylen Wells as the top competitor to Stephon Castle at number 2. Wells' struggles have coincided with the Grizzlies struggling as a team with a 5-5 record in their last 10 games.
He shut down the idea of him hitting the rookie wall after he shot 1-7 from the field in their win against the Utah Jazz on March 12th. He is the team's best perimeter defender and has kept that energy, guarding the opposing team's best player despite his shooting struggles.
What matters the most to him and the team is his effort on the defensive end and his willingness to continue attempting shots with confidence as he works his way out of the slump. After a seven-game streak of scoring single-digit points, he scored 14 points in a return to his hometown against the Sacramento Kings on March 17th.
Zach Edey remains at number 4
The Grizzlies' top rookie selection has stood his ground against opposing bigs as he is playing his role to near perfection. Unfortunately, doing the dirty work with grabbing rebounds and setting picks won't show up on the stat sheet to allow him to make a legit run at winning Rookie of the Year.
However, his play lately has been encouraging for a team looking to solidify their playoff seeding and figure out their playing rotation when they get to that point. Edey has combined for 24 points, 16 rebounds, and six blocks in his last two games against the likes of sixth-ranked rookie Kel’el Ware and former NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis.
Edey and Wells will continue to be relied upon to surround the Grizzlies' big three with effort and execute their roles as the games become more important in the late-season stretch.