Memphis Grizzlies: The Case for Jaylen Wells as Rookie of the Year

With just a week left in the NBA's regular season, it appears that the No. 4 overall pick, Stephon Castle, will give the San Antonio Spurs their second straight Rookie Of The Year winner.

He's a big favorite on all major sportsbooks, leading all first-year players in points per game. However, in a race that's had a revolving door of leading candidates throughout the season, there are still arguments to be made for other candidates as the league's top rookie. Among these other candidates, Jaylen Wells stands out for his steady two-way impact in a playoff team's starting lineup all year.

To begin the season, it didn't take Wells long to establish a key role on the Memphis Grizzlies. The 39th overall pick played 23 minutes in Memphis' opening game, and played an average of 20.4 minutes per game off the bench in their first five games.

After that, he got called up to the Grizzlies' starting lineup, and the 6-foot-7 hasn't looked back. He made the most of his first career start, notching 16 points and 7 boards in just under 36 minutes of floor time, and hasn't come off the bench since.

Wells has played, and started in, every single Grizzlies game after that performance, leading all rookies with 73 starts while playing nearly 27 minutes per game. For the entirety of this stretch, his squad has held solid positioning in the competitive Western Conference playoff picture, demonstrating Wells' clear impact on winning.

Wells has brought positive value on both ends of the ball, but especially defensively. As former Defensive Player Of The Year guard Marcus Smart struggled with injuries early in the season, Wells stepped up as Memphis' lead perimeter defender.

The 21-year-old former Washington State Cougar has leveraged his 6-foot-7.25 wingspan, agile lateral movement, quick reaction time, frantic energy, and slender frame to find success staying connected to opponents as a point-of-attack stopper. He's taken many of the top-ten defense's toughest perimeter assignments, including conference rivals such as four-time champion Stephen Curry and MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Wells' success as a defender has enabled backcourt teammates Ja Morant and Desmond Bane to direct their focus towards leading the Grizzlies' offense. Still, he has done his part to complement their offensive attack, albeit in a limited, play-finishing role. Wells has averaged 10.5 points per game this season on 56.1 TS%, including 35.5% shooting on average of 5.0 three-point attempts.

A large part of his offensive value comes from this sharpshooting ability; Wells has drilled at least five threes in six separate games, knocking down catch-and-shoot looks from all around the perimeter. Outside of that, Wells has also found some success inside the arc, especially through his 68% finishing at the rim, which ranks in the 62nd percentile among wings per Cleaning The Glass. Further, a quarter of his looks have come from the mid-range, where he's comfortable attacking a closeout and pulling up off the dribble at a solid 42% clip.

With his consistent impact on winning all season, it should come as no surprise that Wells leads all rookies with a +0.7 Estimated Plus-Minus per Dunks & Threes. His box score stats and flashes of star potential may not be that of Rookie Of The Year frontrunner Castle, but as a a more efficient scorer and better defensive stopper, Wells' two-way value has been greater for the entirety of this year.

Statistic	Jaylen Wells	Stephon Castle
PPG	10.5	14.5
RPG	3.4	3.6
APG	1.7	3.9
SPG	0.6	0.9
BPG	0.1	0.2
2PA/G	3.6	8.1
2P%	52.3%	49.7%
3PA/G	5.0	4.1
3P%	35.5%	28.3%
FTA/G	1.7	4.1
FT%	82.7%	72.0%
TS%	56.1%	51.7%
O-EPM	+0.2	-0.9
D-EPM	+0.4	-0.5
Team Record	46-32	32-46

Given his unmatched contribution to winning this season, Wells makes a compelling case as the rightful Rookie Of The Year winner.