Washington State has two names on NBA opening-week rosters worth tracking — and they couldn't be trending in more opposite directions.
Jaylen Wells Is Making Noise in Memphis
The second-year Grizzly is quietly building one of the more compelling early-season résumés among WSU alumni in the league. Wells posted a +25 in Thursday's 123–103 blowout of Utah, adding 12 points, 5 rebounds, and a 4-steal performance that caught the league's attention. He followed that up Saturday against Golden State — 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a +12 in a tight 111–108 Grizzlies win. The steal against the Jazz that sprung Cameron Boozer for a highlight-reel dunk already has its own clip circulating online.
Two games in, Wells looks like exactly the kind of two-way wing Memphis can build minutes around. His 27-minute average across both games suggests the coaching staff already agrees.
Klay Thompson's Miami Debut Has Been Rough
The other Coug in the league this week is living a very different reality. Thompson's shooting struggles that plagued him through Miami's preseason — 26.9 percent from the field, a dismal 15.0 percent (3-for-20) from three — didn't evaporate when the lights came on for real.
In the Heat's season opener Wednesday against Minnesota, Thompson managed just 10 points in 16 minutes and finished a staggering -23 in a 106–131 loss. Things didn't meaningfully improve Saturday against Detroit: 6 points, -19 in a 111–128 blowout. His best showing of the week came later Saturday against Charlotte — 14 points, though the Heat still lost 110–115 and Thompson finished -9.
That's three losses, 30 combined points, and a cumulative plus-minus that's hard to look at.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra has been publicly measured, saying he's "not losing sleep" over Thompson's slow start and pointing to the veteran's track record as reason for patience. Thompson himself shrugged off the preseason numbers before the opener, and analysts at Sports Illustrated have argued Miami fans may be overreacting. But through the first week of real games, the numbers have done little to quiet the noise.
The Bigger Picture
The contrast is stark: Wells is doing everything right for a Grizzlies team that looks dangerous early, while Thompson is still searching for his footing on a Heat squad with championship aspirations alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Spoelstra's patience may ultimately prove wise — Thompson's playoff pedigree is real — but Week 1 belonged entirely to the guy from Pullman who's still working to establish his name.
WSU's Mouhamed Gueye (Hawks) and Isaac Jones (Pistons) did not appear in the research brief's tracked games this period.
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