Memphis Grizzlies standout rookie Jaylen Wells will likely miss the rest of the season, the team announced Friday. Wells suffered a broken right wrist, concussion and facial laceration after a scary fall on a dunk attempt Tuesday. He is expected to make a full recovery.
The injury happened in the second quarter of the Grizzlies‘ game against the Hornets. Wells caught a pass ahead of the defense and went up for the finish, which he converted, but as he grabbed the rim he was undercut by KJ Simpson. His legs taken out, Wells swung back, lost grip on the rim and came crashing down to the floor and landed straight on the front of his head at full force.
Be advised, this is not easy to watch.
For his part, Simpson was assessed a flagrant 2 foul, which comes with an automatic ejection.
Wells, who has been one of the gem finds of the 2024 NBA Draft at No. 39 overall and has been in the Rookie of the Year conversation all season, was stretched off the floor and spent the night in the hospital. He rejoined his teammates for shootaround on Thursday ahead of the game against the Timberwolves.
Wells has been critical to Memphis’ success this season. The team is fighting for a postseason spot in the Western Conference, and the rookie has been a leader on defense. Before his injury, he had started the previous 74 games.
In Simpson’s defense, this clearly wasn’t intentional. You can see him going up for a chase-down block only to realize at the last second that he wasn’t in range to make the play. He tried to peel off, but that was actually the problem. By veering away from Wells and effectively trying to run past him, he ran straight into Wells’ legs.
The Grizzlies, in the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference standings, are trying to catch the Warriors, Clippers and Nuggets for a playoff spot. They visit the latter on Friday night and then host the Mavericks in the regular-season finale Sunday.
