From Division II at Sonoma State, to Division I at Washington State, to the big stage.
Jaylen Wells is continuing to make a name for himself in the pros and proving he belongs among the top contenders for this season’s NBA Rookie of the Year.
With his unique story, Wells is sometimes painted as the underdog. But that’s far from the mentality he trains with.
“I always worked to be the top rookie so being the top rookie isn’t a surprise to me,” said Wells.
So far this season, the Memphis Grizzlies Forward leads all rookies in the league in average points per game with 11.8 and he’s been a part of the starting lineup for months.
“I didn’t really expect to be playing and starting this early in my career.”
Wells was a part of the historic WSU team that helped break a 16-year NCAA tournament drought last season. He tells 4 News Now he’s still in contact with his teammates from that special team, including Myles Rice, Parker Gerrits, and Isaiah Watts.
“We are always talking… we were just on FaceTime a couple of days ago…we always keep in touch.”
Wells says he sees similarities in this year’s Cougar team compared to last year’s squad.
“They just seem like they’re having fun out there. I know that last year, we were having fun every game… stuck together, stuck with it, and you know ended up being successful.”
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