Despite the 2024 NBA Draft being considered weak, Jaylen Wells was selected 39th overall and established himself as a starter early on. Finishing third in the Rookie of the Year race, Wells was primed to take on a bigger role following the Desmond Bane trade. Following a slow offensive start to this season, Wells has been a reliable source of offense for the Grizzlies over the last few weeks.
Jaylen Wells first paved his way to being a starter by being a high-level on-ball defender and a capable three-point shooter. While Wells showed flashes of scoring off the dribble, building his on-ball game was the easiest source of improvement to identify. A wrist injury cut his rookie season short; however, Wells showed a much more well-rounded offensive game during this past Summer League despite missing some shots he routinely makes.
Even with the Grizzlies’ early injury crisis, multiple key players started off the season in a slump, including Jaylen Wells. Wells struggled early as he shot just 36.7% from the field and 25.6% from three during October. His struggles carried into November, but he has found a much better rhythm on offense recently.
Wells has been the Grizzlies best scorer in their last nine games
Despite losing to the Nuggets on November 24, the game sparked the recent offensive run Wells is on. In 33 minutes, Wells scored 22 points, but the most important part was how efficient he was. He shot 8-13 from the field and also made four threes. Since then, Wells has been shooting the ball at a high level and has been a reliable scoring presence for the Grizzlies.
In his last ten games, Jaylen Wells is currently averaging 17.2 points per game while also shooting 55.6% from the field and 50% from three. After an extremely slow start shooting the ball, the numbers are balancing out for Wells. Wells averaged 10.4 points per game last season but has raised that number to 12.6 this season, thanks to his recent shooting surge.
Wells has proven to be a reliable three-point shooter in his career so far, but his growth as a mid-range shooter cannot be ignored, especially off the dribble. Wells has also been reliable as a transition scorer. The Grizzlies got off to a slow start offensively, but Wells has been a key contributor to the recent turnaround. The team has had the 11th-best offensive rating since November 15.
The last few weeks have shown the offensive potential that Jaylen Wells possesses. Wells continues to defend at a high level, but he is starting to show the recent evolutions of his game on offense. Even with multiple key players missing, Wells’ recent resurgence has allowed the Grizzlies to get closer to .500. Despite his early slump, Wells is becoming a reliable scoring option for the Grizzlies.
