Video: Grizzlies’ John Konchar talks about pranking Jaylen Wells by pretending to be a fan | News, results, highlights, stats and gossip

It wasn’t until the store cashier informed him of Konchar’s identity that Wells realized he had actually met one of his new teammates.

Konchar, 28, is preparing to begin his sixth season with the Grizzlies after joining the organization in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Purdue Fort Wayne.

He became a key player off the bench, although he appeared in 23 of the 55 games he appeared in last season, averaging 4.3 points while also posting career-highs of 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

While Konchar entered the NBA as a journeyman with limited expectations, Wells is viewed as a player who has a chance to make a significant impact in the future after Memphis selected him 39th overall in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

After two seasons at Division II Sonoma State, Wells transferred to Washington State and immediately excelled, averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 43.6 percent last season. from the game and 41.7% from the arc game.

That was enough to force the Grizzlies to draft the 21-year-old winger to secure a rookie role.

After three consecutive playoff appearances from 2021-2023, the Grizz bottomed out last season, finishing just 27-55.

Injuries were probably the biggest reason for the downturn, with Ja Morant, Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane all missing significant time.

The Grizzlies appear to be much healthier heading into the 2024-2025 season, and judging by his joke, it appears Konchar is looking to keep the momentum going as Memphis begins what could be a bounce-back year.