Jul. 11—LAS VEGAS — Jaylen Wells spent the better part of two quarters searching for his shot.
It came to the former Washington State standout in an instant, roughly two minutes into the third quarter of Friday’s NBA Summer League game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics.
Wells struggled to find his groove during the early stages of Friday’s game, missing his first four attempts from 3-point range, including a long-range attempt that barely clipped the front of the rim and another that missed the frame altogether.
An ice-cold shooting stretch quickly turned into a Wells flurry. The second-year pro connected on his first 3 with 8 minutes, 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter, then capitalized on another opportunity 15 seconds later, hitting from behind the arc in transition.
The former Coug rode the highs and pushed through the lows during Memphis’ 92-78 Summer League loss to Boston at COX Pavilion. Wells struggled with efficiency, making just 3 of 10 shots from the field and 2 of 7 from the 3-point line, but made all five of his attempts from the free throw line to finish with 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.
Wells said it wasn’t the first time he struggled with shooting accuracy and depth perception at COX Pavilion, which seats roughly 2,500 people and resembles more of a high school gym than the larger NBA venues he became accustomed to playing in during his rookie season.
“I’ve been on this floor before, so as much as I hate that small gym, I’ve been there before at least so I’ve got a little work in there already,” Wells said. “… They have a couple dead spots on the floor, I don’t know it’s a weird vibe in there.”
Wells’ game still received a positive review from Tuomas Iisalo, who was recently promoted to Memphis’ head coaching position after wearing the interim tag toward the end of the 2024-25 season.
“It’s always difficult to evaluate individual guys without looking at the film first,” Iisalo said. “I think Jaylen, generally when I look at the film, he always does the right things there. Sometimes the shots will come to him, a lot of times that’ll be the defense that dictates that, not only him.
“We’re not expecting him to carry the offense, so to speak, but be an important and integral part in that. But you need the screener, you need the passer to get the entry pass on time and on target and then I think he can do a lot of damage there. But he’s taken definitely the steps forward.”
Former Gonzaga forward Jeremy Jones knocked down four 3-pointers in the team’s final Salt Lake Summer League game, but didn’t get the same opportunities in Memphis’ opening game in Vegas. Jones was scoreless in 12 minutes, finishing 0 of 3 from the field and 0 of 2 from the 3-point line. He had two rebounds, one assist and one turnover.
Former Washington State and Eastern Washington wing Cedric Coward, the 11th overall pick of the draft, hasn’t been with the team during Summer League stops in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.
With Boston prioritizing its recent draft picks and two-way players, Gonzaga’s Ben Gregg didn’t see the floor in the team’s Summer League debut. Gregg, who recently signed a pro contract with SIG Strasbourg of France’s LNB Elite, should have a chance to play down the stretch of the team’s Summer League schedule, which resumes on Sunday against the New York Knicks.
Efton Reid, who played one season at Gonzaga between stops at LSU and Wake Forest, missed one shot and didn’t score in two minutes for Memphis.
—Anton Watson (Gonzaga) played five minutes in New York’s 104-86 loss to Detroit. Watson attempted one shot, had two assists and grabbed one rebound for the Knicks.