WEBVTT - ROOKIE REPORT: Jaylen Wells

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<v Speaker 1>On this Thanksgiving appetizer episode of the Heat Check, it's

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<v Speaker 1>time for the Rookie Report. You're weekly checking on the

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<v Speaker 1>rookies from around the league and how they're doing. This week,

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<v Speaker 1>we talked about the big surprise in the rookie class

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<v Speaker 1>so far this season. Who is? I got a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of casual fans probably don't even know his name is

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<v Speaker 1>Jalen Wells? Who hu, Anthony my man? Drop that motherfucking

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<v Speaker 1>beat that should be? Young man. Has it been a

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<v Speaker 1>high day since we done a second round rash pick?

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<v Speaker 1>I feel like it's been at least a year, But

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<v Speaker 1>we haven't had a lot that have lit up the

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<v Speaker 1>league either, And that is exactly what's happening with Jalen

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<v Speaker 1>Wells out of the Memphis Grizzlies. I forgive you if

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<v Speaker 1>you've not heard of him before. This is giving me

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<v Speaker 1>shades of Gigi Jackson right like. It's giving me like

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<v Speaker 1>Memphis finds a kid that no one else really was

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<v Speaker 1>believing in. He's six 's eight. He's forward out of

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<v Speaker 1>Sacramento by way of Washington State. He spent a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of years in D two before his one season as

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<v Speaker 1>a Cougar, and even though he's like. Averaging thirteen to

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<v Speaker 1>five and one wasn't world beating, it was enough that

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<v Speaker 1>he decided to declare for the draft. What did scouts

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<v Speaker 1>love about him? Well, he was a true catch and

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<v Speaker 1>shoot forward, which combined with his quick release, meant that

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<v Speaker 1>they were confident that he could get his shot off

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<v Speaker 1>in the pros and no baby, he has that and

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that he was a very good on ball

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<v Speaker 1>defender was enough for the Memphis Grizzlies to take a

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<v Speaker 1>flyer on him at thirty nine. And let's just say,

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<v Speaker 1>considering that they've had some injuries, that draft pick has

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<v Speaker 1>worked out. He has fit in seamlessly to the lineup,

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<v Speaker 1>so much so that he has forced Marcus Smart to

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<v Speaker 1>the bench and moved into the starting lineup in the

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<v Speaker 1>sixth game of the season. Has not looked back. He's

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<v Speaker 1>averaging fourteen four and two and he gets better every week.

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<v Speaker 1>He put up twenty six four and six on ten

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<v Speaker 1>for fourteen, shooting six for ten from three against the

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<v Speaker 1>Bulls sixty percent from three in a big win. In fact,

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, Memphis is ninety four with him as a starter.

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<v Speaker 1>Two things stand out. Number one, he is a sniper

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<v Speaker 1>from three forty two percent right now from deep as

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<v Speaker 1>a starter on five attempts a game. Second for a rookie,

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<v Speaker 1>he is protecting the ball. And we know how sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>these rookies press, they turn the ball over a lot,

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<v Speaker 1>trying to do too much. He's only turning it over

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<v Speaker 1>one point two times in his twenty eight plus minutes

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<v Speaker 1>a game. That is critical because the Grizzlies in general

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<v Speaker 1>second to last in the league in turnovers at seventeen

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<v Speaker 1>a game. Who's responsible for that? The most electric man

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<v Speaker 1>on earth, Jaw, it's you. Second. His NBA stats are

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<v Speaker 1>eerily similar to his college stats, meaning nothing about this

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<v Speaker 1>start to his pro career really seems out of the ordinary.

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<v Speaker 1>This is pretty much who he is and that I

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<v Speaker 1>think that's a good thing moving forward right like, there's

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<v Speaker 1>nothing out of the ordinary. Marcus Smart, who's been incredibly

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<v Speaker 1>gracious about losing his starting position to a twenty one

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<v Speaker 1>year old second round pick, said at this point, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>just trying to win. I've started a pretty good amount

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<v Speaker 1>over my career. He's come in, he's taken the reins

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<v Speaker 1>really well, and we're gonna let him ride it out

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<v Speaker 1>and see what he can do. Then later added, Wells

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<v Speaker 1>has been incredible. He doesn't say much, but he listens

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<v Speaker 1>and he hears everything, and he plays with the ultimate confidence.

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<v Speaker 1>Most of the attention in Memphis has been on Zach Edy,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, who's out with an ankle injury, or Yuki

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<v Speaker 1>Kawamura the five eight Japanese victory cigar. But I think

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<v Speaker 1>Jalen Wells might end up being the most valuable pick

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<v Speaker 1>in this year's draft for Memphis Kia. The Kia Rookie

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<v Speaker 1>Report had him number one on their ladder until Jared

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<v Speaker 1>McCain bawled out. I'm not saying that he's gonna like

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<v Speaker 1>win Rookie of the Year. It's kind of like a

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<v Speaker 1>Power ratings. But unless he's losing minutes when Gigi Jackson

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<v Speaker 1>comes back with I think it's supposed to be late December,

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<v Speaker 1>but I'm not sure he's gonna be a solid piece

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<v Speaker 1>of a good team for the entire year. And that

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<v Speaker 1>is half the battle to at least being in the

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<v Speaker 1>Rookie of the Year conversation. That's all the time that

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<v Speaker 1>we have this episode of Heat Check. Happy Thanksgiving to

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<v Speaker 1>all of you. I am grateful to everyone who listens

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<v Speaker 1>to this podcast. I really am. I know that some

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<v Speaker 1>people have this pod in their group chats and they

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<v Speaker 1>talk about it. That's fucking dope. I really do appreciate

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<v Speaker 1>every single one of you, everybody who follows me online, comments, trolls, shares.

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<v Speaker 1>The shares have been awesome on Instagram this year, so

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<v Speaker 1>I just want to say thanks and continue to share

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<v Speaker 1>it on you know, send it to your drunk uncle,

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<v Speaker 1>like take his phone when here when he just decides

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<v Speaker 1>to go on a rent and rave, go out and

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<v Speaker 1>maybe chop some wood he's left his phone in the kitchen.

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<v Speaker 1>Subscribe to the Heat Check. Check out the feed for

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<v Speaker 1>past episodes of many episodes which drop unexpectedly, like your

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<v Speaker 1>and at some point you do