Jaylen Wells makes a big splash in Memphis

Rarely does a second-round pick make a significant impact as a rookie, especially becoming a crucial member of a competitive team's starting lineup. Jaylen Wells is defying the odds during his debut season with the Grizzlies. The talented guard from Washington State has emerged as a strong contender for the title of one of the top rookies in the NBA this year. At just 21 years old, Wells has solidified his place as a vital component of the Grizzlies' success, as they continue to be a top team in the tough Western Conference.

Wells is averaging 11.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.1 blocks across 26.0 minutes per game this season. He’s shooting 43.8% from the floor, 37.8% from 3-point range and 81.3% from the free-throw line while starting in 35 of his 40 appearances thus far. With this solid production, Wells ranks first in games started by a wide margin among players selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. To put things into perspective, the second player in that list among second-rounders, Kyle Filipowski, has made eight starts for the Utah Jazz and hasn’t been as involved as Wells has in Memphis.

Wells already ranks eighth in games started by a second-rounder as a rookie over the last five seasons. If he stays in the starting unit going forward, Wells might even have a shot at exceeding Herbert Jones’ mark of 69 starts as a second-rounder in the 2021-22 campaign. He could very well move up to third place on that list by the end of February if he stays healthy, surpassing players such as Toumani Camara, Theo Maledon and Ayo Dosunmu, just to name a few.

If analyzing specifically the 39th pick in the latest drafts, when Wells was selected, no player taken that late has started more than 49 games as a rookie since the 2020-21 season, when Camara accomplished that feat. Don’t be surprised if Wells ends up breaking that record sooner rather than later, as the Grizzlies aren’t likely to tweak the starting unit given how well the team has been playing.

Last but not least, we have to say advanced metrics love Wells, too. He ranks second in win shares among all rookies this season with 2.0, trailing only Yves Missi (2.3) and surpassing players with a higher profile such as Zach Edey (1.8), Dalton Knecht (1.2), Donovan Clingan (1.1) and the first-overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher (0.1).