Memphis Grizzlies small forward Jaylen Wells suffered a broken wrist during Tuesday's win against the Charlotte Hornets. The 21-year-old rookie broke his right wrist after a hard fall, landing on his arm and head due to a mid-air collision at the end of a fast-break dunk. Wells was down on the court for several minutes before medical personnel placed him onto a stretcher, securing his head to restrict motion. He was taken to the hospital, where he had movement in all his extremities, interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo said. This injury marks an unfortunate ending to a solid rookie season, in which Wells averaged 10.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 25.9 minutes. Vince Williams Jr. started the second half in Wells' place on Tuesday and will likely receive increased usage moving forward.
Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Santi Aldama and small forward Jaylen Wells will join the starting lineup for Thursday's game against Milwaukee. The duo replaces Marcus Smart (ankle) and Desmond Bane (oblique), who were injured in Wednesday's 119-106 loss to Brooklyn. Aldama will make his fourth start of the campaign, while Wells joins the first unit for the first time in his young career. In his previous three starts, Aldama has averaged 13.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks. The injuries to Smart and Bane will likely also result in increased usage for Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jaylen Wells
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Grizzlies
