Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells had quite the scare when he took a tumble after getting knocked over on a fast-break dunk vs. the Charlotte Hornets. Wells was down for a while before he was taken out on a stretcher.
The Grizzlies eventually resumed play with the Hornets, but everyone was worried about Wells. There wasn’t just fear for his career; the injury was scary enough that there was fear for his life.
Jaylen Wells Has Reportedly Suffered Wrist Injury
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief when ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Wells was moving. He also provided full details of the injury.
“Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells is awake, alert and moving his extremities after being taken off court in a stretcher tonight in Charlotte, his agent Aman Dhesi tells ESPN. Wells has sustained a broken right wrist, Dhesi said, and will continue receiving medical care,” Charania wrote.
Above all else, thank goodness Wells is all right. The way he landed after the injury, it was frightening to see him stay down without moving.
Second, everyone should hope he makes a full recovery. Wells just started his NBA career and doesn’t deserve to have it end prematurely. Now that it’s been confirmed he’s okay, hopefully, he can return once he’s medically cleared.
Third, let’s all hope it’s just the wrist injury, especially when it looked much worse. Obviously, broken wrists are serious, and the recovery time is significant. However, it’s not career-ending, which looked to be a possibility when the injury first occurred.
Wells has worked his way up with the Grizzlies. After being selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, he carved out a spot in the rotation. He’s averaging 10.5 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 42.6% from the field and 35.5% from 3-point range.
Those are solid numbers for a rotation player, so losing him right as the postseason approaches is a big blow. The Grizzlies are already dealing with a lot, including the recent firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins. Losing Wells, too, only makes things more difficult.
Still, with this news, Memphis is likely just grateful that Wells’ life isn’t in danger. It would mean even more if he can fully recover and return to playing when the time is right. It’s unfortunate that Wells probably won’t play in the playoffs, but it’s fortunate that he may get to play NBA basketball again.
The Grizzlies are currently the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference but could get as high as No. 3 with three regular-season games to go.
