Grizzlies rookie forward Jaylen Wells broke his right wrist but was conscious and had movement in all extremities after a frightening fall on Tuesday in Charlotte, Memphis interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said.
Wells left the court on a stretcher after he crashed face-first to the floor following a foul while completing a second-quarter dunk.
The injury almost certainly will keep Wells from playing in the upcoming postseason.
Wells was in the clear and going up for a jam when Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson upended him from below. Wells came down hard, and medical personnel immediately raced out to check on him.
Players from both teams knelt in prayer as the medical staff tended to Wells, who eventually was loaded onto a stretcher, with his head immobilized, and wheeled away. Game action was halted for 23 minutes in all.
“It puts everything into perspective seeing that situation and to see Jaylen there,” Iisalo said. “He’s an incredibly tough kid and had a great season.”
In addition to the wrist injury, Wells experienced face, jaw and back pain, his father, Fred Wells, told the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
The referees upgraded the call against Simpson to a flagrant-2 foul, ejecting him from the game, which Memphis won 124-100.
Wells’ dunk gave Memphis a 62-44 lead with 1:10 to play in the second quarter. Desmond Bane hit the technical free throw in Wells’ place, and the Grizzlies retained the ball.
Wells had three points, five rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes before exiting the game. The 21-year-old Washington State product began the night averaging 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists through 78 games (73 starts) for the Grizzlies.
–Field Level Media
