Jaylen Nowell Set to Return to NBA with the Pistons

The former UW guard will join his third franchise in five seasons.

Jaylen Nowell played nine games for Memphis earlier in the season. / Petre Thomas/USA TODAY Sports

Jaylen Nowell is back on an NBA roster after the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday signed the former University of Washington shooting guard to a 10-day contract, according to multiple news outlets.

The 6-foot-4 Nowell, who leaves the Stockton Kings of the G League, was with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies for parts or all of the previous five seasons.

He had his best NBA showing last year when he appeared in 65 games, started twice and averaged 10.8 points per game for the Timberwolves.

Earlier this season, Nowell was signed to a pair of 10-day contracts by Memphis and played in nine games, averaging 5.7 ppg.

Joining the Pistons, Nowell will become teammates with former Husky center Isaiah Stewart, this after playing alongside ex-UW forward Jaden McDaniels in Minnesota.

Nowell was a basketball fixture for the UW in 2018 and 2019, during the first two seasons for recently fired coach Mike Hopkins. As a sophomore, he helped lead the Huskies to a 27-9 season and the program's only NCAA Tournament berth over the past 13 years. Averaging 16.2 ppg, he was named Pac-12 Player of the Year.

Bypassing his final two seasons of college eligibility, Nowell, a Seattle native who played at Garfield High School, was a second-round pick, the 43rd player taken overall, in the 2019 NBA Draft.

He's appeared in 193 NBA games, starting four of them, and has a 8.9 scoring average and 44.5 shooting percentage in his career, and he has a game high of 29 points.

At Stockton, Nowell was averaging 17.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

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