Wazzu’s Wells sinks game-winning shot, scores 27 points in NBA Summer League
Former Cougar shined in his second summer game with the Memphis Grizzlies
Metro Boomin’s "Superhero" blared on the Delta Center’s Summer League speakers, a fitting precursor to former Washington State Cougar Jaylen Wells’ heroic game-winning buzzer beater.
With one second remaining, Wells did not even have the ball in his hands. He lunged for the rebound after a teammate’s shot bounced off the board, and with 0.6 seconds on the clock, flung it into the air with his right hand, watched his floater meet the net and smiled from ear to ear as his teammates embraced him.
The pro Coug’s Memphis Grizzlies beat the Philadelphia 76ers 87-85 on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
Wells’ game-winning moment was a stellar conclusion to his second NBA Summer League contest in which he scored a game-high 27 points with six rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Despite the game-high offensive total, Wells made 39% of his shots (9-for-23) and even air-balled some shots.
“It felt good (making the game-winning shot) you know, I missed a lot of shots. I don’t think I’ve air-balled so many times in my career, but my team, they kept believing in me, kept feeding me the ball,” Wells said in an on-court ESPN interview. “I’m glad they believed in me.”
Wells found his touch from beyond the arc Tuesday, sinking 3-of-7 3-pointers, including a left corner three and-1 that may remind Wazzu fans of his iconic four-point dagger versus Arizona on Feb. 22 in Tucson, Ariz., which sealed then-No. 21 WSU’s upset of No. 4 Arizona.
Just like that iconic moment, Wells fell to his back after drawing the and-one on a left corner 3. An eerily similar moment of arrival.
His sixth rebound Tuesday night to set up his game-winning shot was the product of absolute hustle and was a continuation of the hustle he displayed in his summer league debut the previous day.
Wells made 1-of-9 shots versus the Utah Jazz on Monday but grabbed seven rebounds and a steal.
After the game, Wells had the chance to catch up with his family who was in attendance, each sporting No. 0 Wells Grizzlies jerseys.
Wells was drafted No. 39 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2024 NBA draft after emerging as a dynamic scorer for WSU men’s basketball’s first NCAA Tournament-bound team since 2008. He earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors after averaging 14.6 points in conference play.
Wells started his college career at Division II Sonoma State before transferring to WSU.
He signed a four-year $7.9 million NBA contract Saturday.
Wells’ next Summer League game is at 4 p.m. today versus the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. NBA TV will broadcast the game.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.
