Memphis Grizzlies guard Jaylen Wells has been named a finalist for the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Wells joins Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs and Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks as the three finalists. Of those three players, Wells was picked the lowest at 39th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.

For the Memphis Grizzlies, the expectation was to lean on a pair of rookies in the postseason before Jaylen Wells went out with a season-ending injury at the end of the regular season. Zach Edey was the lone rookie left standing on a season that quickly went off the rails for the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies couldn't score. Offense was tough to come by against a vaunted Oklahoma City defense. The results efforts translated to the other end of the floor, resulting in an efficient offensive night for the Thunder and a lackluster performance from Memphis.