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Grant Afseth: Final: Mavericks 120, Grizzlies 112 Khris Middleton: 35 PTS, 3 REB, 2 STL Daniel Gafford: 22 PTS, 14 REB, 1 BLK Cooper Flagg: 13 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST Jaylen Wells: 23 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST GG Jackson: 20 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST Dallas (22-44) hosts Cleveland next.

Demin’s opinion carries weight because he is an example of the loophole that players like Bailey and Bediako are saying is unfair to them. Current rules allow players such as Demin, who played professionally in Europe for Real Madrid, to come to the U.S. and play in college. Franz and Moritz Wagner both played for Alba Berlin before playing collegiately at Michigan. The same opportunity has not, traditionally, been afforded to American players who played in the NBA or G League. “I just feel like there’s a reason why they call you a pro,” said the Grizzlies’ Jaylen Wells, who played at both Sonoma State and Washington State. “And when you’re in college, you’re not a pro.”

Damichael Cole: Kleiman mentions Zach Edey, Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells and Walter Clayton Jr. as some young players for the future. He said he’s not going to “sit here and crown any of them,” but those players are some who could factor in the new direction.

NBA Communications: The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars ⬇️ Tune in to @peacock tomorrow at 7 PM ET to watch honorary coaches Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter draft their teams from the pool of 21 NBA sophomores and rookies. Austin Rivers will serve as the honorary coach of the @nbagleague team.
The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars ⬇️
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 26, 2026
Tune in to @peacock tomorrow at 7 PM ET to watch honorary coaches Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter draft their teams from the pool of 21 NBA sophomores and rookies.
Austin Rivers will serve as the honorary coach of the @nbagleague… pic.twitter.com/WW4quEKMLX

How do you handle criticism from coaches and fans? I know they're very different from coaches compared to fans, but how do you kind of mentally deal with that? Jaylen Wells: Oh yeah, I think it comes with the game. Criticism comes to the game, especially from fans. I mean, they have the right to voice their own opinion, as long as it's not disrespectful. But me, personally, I can read hate comments, but I really don't care. It's more of a sign that you made it. As far as criticism from coaches, I think that's something I value. Yeah, I think that's just, especially Tomas, he's a very straightforward coach, so I really appreciate those types of phrases. Those types of people who can tell you what you're doing wrong, but also at the same time tell you what you're doing right.
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In terms of being that point-of-attack defender, do you pride yourself on being the guy that guards the better players on the opposing side night in and night out? Jaylen Wells: Yeah, I enjoy it. I embrace it. Obviously, a big part of winning the basketball game is defense, so having to guard the best players in the big part of it, so I definitely take a lot of pride in that. It's a fun thing to be part of my game. Obviously, there's two sides to basketball, but that's something that really goes into the game that I know I can impact the game the most on.

Grizzlies PR: Status Update: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jaylen Wells are available tonight against the Lakers. Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Javon Small (Two-Way Transfers) are out.

Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. both had inefficient offensive nights. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jaylen Wells didn't offer much help on the offensive end. Against a team like the Houston Rockets, that won't be enough. The Grizzlies fell behind early and lost 124-109 at FedExForum. Morant finished with 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting. Jackson scored nine points on 2-for-6 shooting. Cam Spencer led the Grizzlies (3-6) with 19 points.

Fresh off a brilliant rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento's Jaylen Wells returned home over the weekend for his first basketball camp in the capital city. Wells, who played with the Folsom Bulldogs, brought his camp to Sacramento High School on Sunday. A hundred basketball players in attendance — both boys and girls — from age 9 to high school, got the chance to work closely with the NBA star.
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Jessica Benson: Jaylen Wells on why he wanted to play in Summer League: "I love playing basketball. It's always an opportunity to get better - and to be able to play with guys like GG and Cam and gain chemistry."
Jaylen Wells on why he wanted to play in Summer League: "I love playing basketball. It's always an opportunity to get better - and to be able to play with guys like GG and Cam and gain chemistry." pic.twitter.com/PuWfy76pNH
— Jessica Benson (@jessbensontv) July 7, 2025

Drew Hill: Coward said he is super excited to play with Jaylen Wells, who also played at Washington State. He said he was hoping Wells would come back to college and play with him last season.

Shams Charania: What we're going to see now, particularly at positions two through four, is a very defensively-oriented, defensive-minded strategy. A guy like Jaylen Wells might not be a household name yet, but he was a rookie of the year runner-up, and the Grizzlies have high hopes for him. I believe they see him as their starting two-guard of the future. If you have those aspirations, you need to make sure you're in a good place financially. You're talking about the second apron, the first apron. Having Desmond Bane on a max contract, along with Jaren Jackson’s big deal and Ja Morant’s max contract, makes team-building extremely difficult."

The Grizzlies believe Jaylen Wells, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting this past season as a second-round pick, can be a long-term starter on the wing, sources said. And among the haul of picks they received in the trade, the most attractive was next year's lesser of Phoenix and Washington -- a pick that's very likely to be a lottery pick, and could easily wind up inside the top 10, or better.