During his time at All-Star Weekend with the Rising Stars, Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George was able to play alongside and against some of the best budding first and second-year players in the league.
One of those players on George’s Team C roster was Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells –– a second-round pick from Washington State who’s emerged as a strong two-way impact player and starter for a competitive Grizzlies squad.
Wells has stood out through the first half of the season for Memphis to land himself a spot on the Rising Stars squad, and he’s clearly gotten the attention of George, who spoke about the Grizzlies rookie ahead of All-Star Weekend.
“When I turn the TV on and watch them play, he’s guarding whoever it is… All-Stars,” George said. “The fact that he’s able to take on that matchup his first year in the NBA, kudos to him to not only develop the mindset of knowing he’s about to guard the best player every single night, but able to do it at a high level, and his team is winning… I’m just glad he’s on our team for today.”
In 54 games this year, Wells has averaged 11.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists on 44.6% shooting from the field, starting in all but five of those contests for a Grizzlies team currently second in the Western Conference.
George paired up with Wells for Friday’s Rising Stars action and eventually went on to earn a spot in Sunday’s All-Star festivities to face Shaq’s OGs.
Float Game 🆙@jaylen_wells pic.twitter.com/q0wbthMbfK
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 17, 2025
The two guards will meet up a pair of times down the stretch of this season, as the Jazz will play the Grizzlies on March 12th and March 25th. However, both will get some deserved rest before either team gets back on the floor, as the All-Star Break spans until Thursday.
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