Jaylen Wells

Wells might be considered a "one-and-done" prospect after spending just one year in college at the D1 level, despite playing his first two years post-high school at Sonoma State. He enrolled to play for Washington State as a junior and thrived in his lone season with the Cougars. Jones averaged 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.5 steals per game while starting in 20 of his 34 appearances with the program. Wells is a high-level shooter who has excellent size for his projected position at the next level, and one thing that stands out regarding his mechanics is his quick release, one that allowed him to shoot 42% on catch-and-shoot triples, as well as 81% of his free-throw attempts, during the 2023-24 season. Wells' most clear strength is his ability to hit catch-and-shoot threes, and that will remain useful as the other areas of his offensive game continue to develop, particularly his drives to the basket. Defensively, Wells has shown potential to play as a solid on-the-ball defender, being able to contain drivers due to his strength, but he's not as advanced when it comes to his off-the-ball defense. There are multiple areas of his defensive game that need improvement, most notably his awareness and off-ball defense. How much he improves on that end of the floor will determine if he can stay on an NBA floor on a prolonged basis or if he'll be nothing more than a situational shooter off the bench. Based on his profile, there are some positives regarding Wells. He's athletic, he can get the job done defensively and he is an excellent shooter. While there are multiple comparisons to him at the NBA level, given he profiles as a typical modern shooter, he might be a player worth targeting in the middle-to-late stages of the second round.