After having their NBA dreams realized in the final days of June, former Cougs Isaac Jones and Jaylen Wells have been making an impact with their new teams in exhibition games and NBA Summer League Action. 

In their first Summer League game each, Wells and Jones’ teams played one another. Jones, signed by the Sacramento Kings as an undrafted free agent, scored 9 points to go along with two rebounds and two assists, but Wells’ Memphis Grizzlies, who drafted him in the second round, dominated en route to a 20-point win.

Wells himself played 17 minutes, scoring 6 points, going 1-for-6 from the field. Of the three Summer League games he’s played, it has been his worst performance. In Wednesday’s win over the Orlando Magic, he scored 9 points and finished with a box plus/minus of 11, meaning the team scored 11 more points than the other team with him on the floor. 

Also on Wednesday, Jones saw action. Playing just under 29 minutes, the big man scored 13 points on 83.3% shooting from the field while bringing down eight rebounds. It was his most efficient night, despite the relatively low volume of shots. 

However, of the two’s performances with their NBA teams, neither has topped Wells’ showing back on July 9. Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Wells had a performance eerily similar to the contest the Cougs had against Arizona on the road. 

Scoring 27 points, Wells also had six rebounds and three assists. 

In the same corner he had the miraculous four-point play to win the game against Arizona, he nailed another triple while being fouled. 

In the closing seconds of the game, Wells crashed from the arc, found a rebound near the free throw line and sank a pro-style floater to win the game for the Grizzlies. All around, his performance made him look like an NBA vet, despite it being early in his development.

Before Summer League action fully began, Jones earned praise from Kings assistant coach Doug Christie. Along with other young player Isaiah Crawford, Christie said the two have potential to big things for the team.

“(Isaiah) has all the pieces. The same thing for Isaac Jones. I really like what I’ve seen out of those two guys,” he said. 

Sacramento is 1-2 to start official Summer League play and the Grizzlies are 3-0, both teams can make a run for the title, but Wells is looking like a better bet to get the job done with the cast surrounding him.