The Memphis Grizzlies have been plagued by off-court drama and injuries over the past few years, but heading into the 2025-26 campaign, there’s a different vibe surrounding the team. Sure enough, the Grizzlies opened the new season with a 128-122 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, giving the team something to build off of right from the get-go.
One guy who will play a big role for Memphis this season is second-year wing Jaylen Wells. As a rookie, Wells quickly became a starter for the Grizzlies, and he’ll have even more minutes coming his way after Desmond Bane was traded to the Orlando Magic over the offseason.
In an exclusive interview with Heavy on Grizzlies, Wells opened up on his expectations for Memphis’ upcoming season, while also sharing his excitement for “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7,” which is scheduled for release on Nov. 14.
Jaylen Wells Dishes on Grizzlies Championship Mindset
After getting taken with the No. 39 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Wells started 74 of the 79 games he played in for the Grizzlies as a rookie, averaging 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, earning him a third-place finish in the Rookie of the Year race. Unfortunately, Wells broke his right wrist after taking a scary fall on Apr. 8, forcing him to spend much of his offseason doing rehab work. And yet, it only inspired him to come back better than ever before.
“I was really motivated, especially having a season where it didn’t end how I wanted it to,” Wells said to Heavy on Grizzlies. “Going into this year, I’ve got a different, expanded role, so coming in with that mindset, being ready to embrace the new ups and downs that’s gonna come with it. I think we’ve got a great team.”
The hard work Wells put in over the offseason immediately paid off, as he was on the court for Memphis’ season-opening win over New Orleans, scoring 14 points while dishing out four assists and hauling in three rebounds. One of the more notable aspects of this game for Wells was his involvement as a playmaker, and he shared that it was an area of his game that he has been working on improving now that his role with the Grizzlies has expanded.
“Definitely the playmaking side,” Wells said when asked what part of his game he’s looking to improve. “Being able to make that extra pass, coming off ball screens and being able to hit the roller when he’s open, finding the fill behinds and stuff like that. A lot of what I’ve been working on is just having the ball in my hands coming off pick-and-rolls and being in a lot of different playmaking situations.”
Wells taking on a bigger role is one of just several changes Memphis has made heading into the new season, and yet, there’s reason to believe the team can take a big step forward this year. Wells certainly believes that’s a possibility, saying, “I think it’s coming together at the right time. Definitely, definitely I think we have the right pieces to be a championship team. I mean, that’s the goal every day, we’re working to get better with the mindset we are a championship team.”
Jaylen Wells Looking Forward to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Release
GettyGrizzlies’ forward Jaylen Wells is excited to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 when it releases in November
There’s no doubt that basketball is an important part of Wells’ life. It’s essential for professional athletes to have different hobbies off the court to keep themselves fresh, though, and one hobby that is gaining popularity is gaming. Wells is a part of that ever-growing group, and he explained that one game in particular he’s looking forward to getting his hands on is “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.”
“It looks exciting,” Wells said when discussing his first impression of “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.” “It looks pretty realistic, it looks fun. I was talking earlier about how I used to always play Black Ops 3, and how it’s just a good nostalgic feeling playing that game. I feel like I can get that same feeling from Black Ops 7.”
Call of Duty is one of the most popular video game series of all time, and everybody has a game that initially got them into the action. As noted above, that game for Wells was “Call of Duty: Black Ops 3,” as he fondly reminisced about playing alongside his brother and exploring some of the more unique game modes, such as Gun Game.
“Black Ops 3 was really just the one that stuck out to me, that’s the one I remembered most from childhood, just playing it with my brother,” Wells recalled. “Playing on Nuketown and gun game … I was a little bit bad at the game, so playing gun game, it was something different, just playing solo and not on a team.”
Of course, Wells isn’t the only guy looking forward to the impending release of “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7,” as several of his Grizzlies teammates are also big Call of Duty fans. So when the game eventually releases in a couple of weeks, which of Wells’ teammates does he see himself hopping on the game with?
“I’m probably teaming up with, let’s go, Cedric (Coward) and Scotty (Pippen Jr.) That would be my two teammates.”
“Call of Duty: Black Ops 7” is set to be released on Nov. 14, 2025, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It will be made available to subscribers of select Xbox Game Pass plans on release day.
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