Next level Cougs: a ‘Where Are They Now’ of the NBA

Happy NBA Opening Day, we’ve got lots of Cougs to celebrate!

Starting off strong with a spoiler here: Klay Thompson is in the NBA (actually now a Dallas Maverick! Strange). But so are Mouhamed Gueye, Jaylen Wells, and Isaac Jones!

Mouhamed Gueye is on his 2nd year as an Atlanta Hawk, still fighting for contributing minutes after missing much of the previous season with his fractured back injury (fun fact: an injury he played through during his final season at WSU! Tough guy!). After sustaining a bone contusion during Summer League, he seems to finally be healthy and ready to go! Jaylen and Isaac are both in good health and also are looking to contribute to their respective teams (Grizzlies and Kings) as much as rookies can.

The first test of their readiness came in the form of NBA Preseason. Over the past couple weeks, Jaylen, Isaac, and Mo all saw notable minutes with various rotational rosters in several games.

Jaylen saw the most, logging 116 minutes across 5 games for an average of 23.2 minutes per game. Memphis seems to really like what they got with their second-round pick (as they absolutely should, come on) and are giving him every chance possible to grow and gel in their system. Jaylen played with pretty much every available teammate, from starters to 10-day contract players, and he excelled at every level. He was 3rd among all rookies in the NBA in scoring, averaging 14 PPG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 48% 3PT shooting.

Uh, yeah.

He then took his fantastic start in the Summer League to another level, becoming extremely consistent and lethal as a shooter and attacker in the Preseason. Now, this may come as a surprise -seriously, brace yourself- He hit yet ANOTHER go-ahead dagger to steal a game in the preseason (against my Chicago Bulls, nonetheless. I am a little sad).

Due to Jaylen’s frequent stellar performances this summer and fall, the Memphis Grizzlies fanbase has become really fond of Jaylen and has grown in loyalty surrounding his new hashtag, #SleepNation. I cannot describe how happy this makes me, as I’ve been watching along with so many other Cougs since his silent recruitment from Sonoma State with very little hype around him.

From his performances against uW and USC and of course, on Neon Night against Arizona, to his leadership against Iowa State in a March Madness loss, to his floater buzzer beater, ridiculous patented AND-1 threes and charge taken to push the Grizzlies into summer league championship contention. Jaylen has an amazing ability that is so invaluable at the pro level to continue to progress and bring out consistent elevated effort, and it truly makes him so fun to watch. I can’t wait to see what he achieves next.

Of note- The Grizzlies have several injuries plaguing them to start the season, with starters Luke Kennard, Jaren Jackson Jr., and GG Jackson all expected to be out for at least the first game. Jaylen may very well(s) see some minutes in the season opener, which would be amazing!

As for Mo and Isaac, Isaac Jones and Mouhamed Gueye did not receive nearly as many minutes as Jaylen did, however both are on the rosters of their two respective teams. The Hawks just picked up the #1 overall pick, who happens to be a Power Forward, so Mo’s journey into a bench spot may take some time, especially with Clint Capela at center as well. The Kings just acquired Demar DeRozan and will likely be pushing for their chance at taking the Western Conference all together, so Isaac Jones’s journey may be delayed as well.

However, the modern NBA is all about development! No harm in getting better in the G-League or getting reps with the bench and practice squads.

I will be checking on all of these Cougs every week this season, and will look to get out some updates to keep you all in the loop while the major fall sports (Football, Volleyball, and our friends on the soccer squad) take most people’s attention. A bit of a long one from me after some time, but I hope you enjoyed!

Happy Wednesday and as always… GO COUGS!