Sacramento native named finalist for one of NBA’s most prestigious awards
Sacramento native and former Folsom High School star Jaylen Wells was announced as a finalist for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award Sunday.
Wells began his college career at Division II Sonoma State and spent one season at Washington State before the Memphis Grizzlies selected him with the 39th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft. Now, Wells has a chance to become the fourth second-round pick in NBA history to win Rookie of the Year.
The last second-round pick to win the award was Malcolm Brogdon, who was the 36th overall pick in 2016. The only others were Terry Dischinger in 1963 and Willis Reed in 1965, each of whom was selected with the eighth overall pick during an era when the NBA had only nine teams.
Wells, 21, started 74 of 79 games for Grizzlies before suffering a broken wrist in a win over the Charlotte Hornets on April 8. The 6-foot-8 forward scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting in a 138-133 loss to the Kings on Jan. 3 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. He averaged 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.6 steals while shooting 35.2% from 3-point range.
Wells was born and raised in Sacramento. He was named The Sacramento Bee’s All-Metro Player of the Year after averaging 26.3 points per game as a senior.
Wells was named California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year after averaging 22.4 points per game as a sophomore at Sonoma State. He entered the NBA draft after averaging 12.6 points and 4.6 rebounds as a junior at Washington State.
Wells wasn’t initially projected as a draft pick, but he climbed draft boards with the help of his agent, Maurice Johnson of PNW Sports, who is also a Sacramento native.
This story was originally published April 20, 2025 at 6:19 PM.
