CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Memphis Grizzlies starting guard Jaylen Wells broke his right wrist on a hard fall on his arm and head from a midair collision at the end of a fast-break dunk during a 124-100 victory over Charlotte on Tuesday, probably ending the rookie’s season right before the Grizzlies begin the playoffs.
Wells was down for eight minutes before being lifted by medical personnel onto a stretcher with his head immobilized. He was taken to a hospital, where he had movement in all of his extremities, interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said.
“It puts everything into perspective seeing that situation and to see Jaylen there,” Iisalo said. “He’s an incredibly tough kid and had a great season.”
The rookie’s father, Fred Wells, told the Memphis Commercial Appeal that his son was alert enough to ask what the score of the game was. Jaylen Wells had pain in his face, jaw and back, his father said.
Wells caught an outlet pass from Ja Morant and went up to dunk the ball, when the Hornets’ KJ Simpson inadvertently undercut him after trying to catch up to the play. The contact caused Wells to lose his balance while in the air and land awkwardly on his side as his head slammed against the court near the baseline.
“It’s tough. I threw the pass and turned around and was doing our little touchdown celebration. When I got there, the first thing I saw was blood, and I’ve got a weak stomach,” Morant said. “We’ve just got to stay with him and keep praying for him. It’s next man up. Obviously that hurts. Guys will just have to be ready.”
The game was delayed 23 minutes, including warmup time for both teams. After a replay review, officials called a flagrant foul 2 on Simpson for unnecessary contact, which comes with an automatic ejection. After the play, Simpson immediately bent down to check on Wells and was visibly distraught while Wells was being tended to in the silent arena.
A 2024 second-round draft pick out of Washington State, Wells has yet to miss a game for Memphis while starting 74 of 79 games. The 6-foot-7 Wells entered Tuesday’s game with averages of 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. With the win, the Grizzlies moved into a tie for fourth place in the crowded Western Conference race, but they could still drop as low as eighth.
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