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WSU Men's Basketball

Former WSU star Jaylen Wells giving NBA’s Grizzlies an unlikely defensive boost

Rookie Jaylen Wells, guarding LeBron James earlier this season, has become a solid 3-point shooting and defensive player for the Memphis Grizzlies.  (Getty Images)
By Kelly Iko The Athletic

Even in a noisy FedExForum crowd, Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins’ voice cut through from the opposite end of the floor – and rookie Jaylen Wells instantly snapped into focus.

“Jaylen! Jaaylen! Jaaaaaylen!” Jenkins bellowed, waving his hands toward the incoming action, already aware of what would happen.

The Denver Nuggets’ scouting report showed forward Michael Porter Jr., a skilled catch-and-shoot player just as comfortable creating his own shot, would be leaned on more on offense in Nikola Jokić’s absence. Wells, the former Washington State standout whose defensive responsibilities ranged from Porter to Jamal Murray and everyone in between, had the tough task of fighting through endless contact and maintaining close proximity to Denver’s primary and secondary options.

Porter got a rare clean look at a stepback jumper (courtesy of a sneaky pushoff), but both Nuggets stars struggled in the mid-November 105-90 loss, shooting a combined 10 for 27 from the field and 1 for 10 on 3-pointers. Wells isn’t solely responsible for that – the Grizzlies boast the league’s fifth-best defense, according to Cleaning the Glass, allowing a stingy 108.7 points per 100 possessions – but a good chunk of Memphis’ defensive scheme is tailored around Wells’ versatility and, specifically, his unique ability to navigate ball screens.

Wells, the 39th pick in last June’s draft after averaging 12.6 points per game for the Cougars, is the latest success story for an organization that has made finding diamonds in the rough trendy. Desmond Bane (30th pick, 2020), Santi Aldama (30th pick, 2021), Vince Williams Jr. (47th pick, 2022) and GG Jackson II (45th pick, 2023) have all benefited from Memphis’ developmental environment over the past few years.

With Wells, a 6-foot-6 wing with a 6-7 wingspan, Jenkins has found the prototypical 3-and-D role player who not only can complement Ja Morant, Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the halfcourt (shooting 38.3% from 3 on nearly five attempts per game) but also is comfortable taking on important defensive assignments. Per BBall Index, Wells ranks in the 89th and 99th percentile in terms of time spent defending primary and secondary options on the floor, extremely high numbers for a team filled with veterans and experience. Squint hard enough and there are similarities to how Jenkins deployed Dillon Brooks, who finished his NBA All-Defense season in 2023 ranked in the 99th and 79th percentile in the same categories. Wells is still far from becoming the physical, savvy irritant Brooks is, but he’s following a similar blueprint.

One of Brooks’ strongest attributes during his tenure in Memphis was his utter disregard for an opposing screen. (Nothing has changed in Houston, for what it’s worth.) With Brooks using a combination of strength, quickness and a touch of arrogance, it seemed almost impossible to detach him from his matchup. Wells is similar. According to Sportradar, Wells goes over opposing screens more than half the time – 52.3%. He has an underrated knack for sensing multiple ongoing events: the timing, positioning and angle of the screener and the optimal route to avoid it.

Wells’ screen navigation ability is the bedrock of the Grizzlies’ half-court setup. Jackson remains Memphis’ most versatile defender and impactful rim protector, but there’s only so much he can do by himself. (The Grizzlies surrendered 115.2 points per 100 possessions in Jackson’s minutes last season.)

Given Memphis’ roster makeup – and Jenkins’ strategy – the Grizzlies don’t switch a lot of matchups and play single coverage, all while keeping the screener’s defender close to the rim. According to Synergy, they employ “soft coverage,” or drop, nearly 70% of the time.

When working in tandem, Wells should be able to fight over a screen and stick with the ballhandler, while Jackson patrols the restricted area, ready to clean up.

“It feels good,” Wells said of the defensive trust from his coaching staff. “Through all these games, I’ve pretty much been given the biggest defensive assignments. Just learning every game and the differences between players.”