CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Memphis Grizzlies starting guard Jaylen Wells sustained a broken wrist on a scary fall but is awake, alert and moving his extremities after being taken off the court on a stretcher late in the first half of Tuesday’s 124-100 victory against the Hornets, his agent Aman Dhesi told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Wells caught an outlet pass from Ja Morant and went up to the rim, when Charlotte guard 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. He was down for eight minutes before being lifted onto the stretcher with his head immobilized.
Wells’ father, Fred, confirmed to the Memphis Commercial Appeal that his son was awake in the hospital with pain in his face, jaw and back. Fred Wells said Jaylen asked what the score of the game was.
The game was delayed 23 minutes, including warmup time for both teams. Officials called a flagrant 2 foul on Simpson after a replay review for unnecessary contact, which comes with an automatic ejection. Simpson immediately bent down to check on Wells after their collision and was visibly distraught while Wells was being tended to in the silent arena.
“Puts everything in perspective,” interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo said after the game. “Seeing that situation and seeing Jaylen there, tough situation for everybody. He’s an incredibly tough kid. Had a great season. He’s in all of our thoughts. Luckily, he’s moving all the extremities. And unfortunately has apparently a broken wrist, but he’s in our thoughts. … He’ll have a great recovery.”
A 2024 second-round draft pick from Washington State, Wells has yet to sit out a game for Memphis while starting 74 of 79. The 6-foot-7 Wells entered Tuesday with averages of 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. The Grizzlies entered the night in a four-way tie for fifth place in the Western Conference.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
