On this Thanksgiving appetizer episode of the Heat Check, it's time for the Rookie Report. You're weekly checking on the rookies from around the league and how they're doing. This week, we talked about the big surprise in the rookie class so far this season. Who is? I got a lot of casual fans probably don't even know his name is Jalen Wells? Who hu, Anthony my man? Drop that motherfucking beat that should be? Young man. Has it been a high day since we done a second round rash pick?
I feel like it's been at least a year, But we haven't had a lot that have lit up the league either, And that is exactly what's happening with Jalen Wells out of the Memphis Grizzlies. I forgive you if you've not heard of him before. This is giving me shades of Gigi Jackson right like. It's giving me like Memphis finds a kid that no one else really was believing in. He's six 's eight. He's forward out of
Sacramento by way of Washington State. He spent a couple of years in D two before his one season as a Cougar, and even though he's like. Averaging thirteen to five and one wasn't world beating, it was enough that he decided to declare for the draft. What did scouts
love about him? Well, he was a true catch and shoot forward, which combined with his quick release, meant that they were confident that he could get his shot off in the pros and no baby, he has that and the fact that he was a very good on ball defender was enough for the Memphis Grizzlies to take a flyer on him at thirty nine. And let's just say, considering that they've had some injuries, that draft pick has
worked out. He has fit in seamlessly to the lineup, so much so that he has forced Marcus Smart to the bench and moved into the starting lineup in the sixth game of the season. Has not looked back. He's averaging fourteen four and two and he gets better every week. He put up twenty six four and six on ten for fourteen, shooting six for ten from three against the Bulls sixty percent from three in a big win. In fact, In fact, Memphis is ninety four with him as a starter.
Two things stand out. Number one, he is a sniper from three forty two percent right now from deep as a starter on five attempts a game. Second for a rookie, he is protecting the ball. And we know how sometimes these rookies press, they turn the ball over a lot, trying to do too much. He's only turning it over one point two times in his twenty eight plus minutes a game. That is critical because the Grizzlies in general second to last in the league in turnovers at seventeen
a game. Who's responsible for that? The most electric man on earth, Jaw, it's you. Second. His NBA stats are eerily similar to his college stats, meaning nothing about this start to his pro career really seems out of the ordinary. This is pretty much who he is and that I think that's a good thing moving forward right like, there's
nothing out of the ordinary. Marcus Smart, who's been incredibly gracious about losing his starting position to a twenty one year old second round pick, said at this point, I'm just trying to win. I've started a pretty good amount over my career. He's come in, he's taken the reins really well, and we're gonna let him ride it out and see what he can do. Then later added, Wells
has been incredible. He doesn't say much, but he listens and he hears everything, and he plays with the ultimate confidence. Most of the attention in Memphis has been on Zach Edy, of course, who's out with an ankle injury, or Yuki Kawamura the five eight Japanese victory cigar. But I think Jalen Wells might end up being the most valuable pick in this year's draft for Memphis Kia. The Kia Rookie Report had him number one on their ladder until Jared
McCain bawled out. I'm not saying that he's gonna like win Rookie of the Year. It's kind of like a Power ratings. But unless he's losing minutes when Gigi Jackson comes back with I think it's supposed to be late December, but I'm not sure he's gonna be a solid piece of a good team for the entire year. And that is half the battle to at least being in the Rookie of the Year conversation. That's all the time that we have this episode of Heat Check. Happy Thanksgiving to
all of you. I am grateful to everyone who listens to this podcast. I really am. I know that some people have this pod in their group chats and they talk about it. That's fucking dope. I really do appreciate every single one of you, everybody who follows me online, comments, trolls, shares.
The shares have been awesome on Instagram this year, so I just want to say thanks and continue to share it on you know, send it to your drunk uncle, like take his phone when here when he just decides to go on a rent and rave, go out and maybe chop some wood he's left his phone in the kitchen. Subscribe to the Heat Check. Check out the feed for past episodes of many episodes which drop unexpectedly, like your uncle after that second helping of turkey. Do not forget
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