Video: Grizzlies' John Konchar Talks Pranking Jaylen Wells by Pretending to Be Fan
Mike Chiari@@mikechiari
Featured Columnist IVOctober 1, 2024
Memphis Grizzlies guard John Konchar gave the particulars of a hilarious prank he played on rookie teammate Jaylen Wells this offseason.
Speaking to Chris Vernon of The Ringer, Konchar noted that he ran into Wells at a grocery store before they had officially met. Rather than introducing himself to Wells as his teammate, he said he was a big Grizzlies fan named John and asked to take a picture with him:
It wasn't until a cashier at the store informed him of Konchar's identity that Wells became aware he had actually met one of his new teammates.
The 28-year-old Konchar is preparing to enter his sixth season with the Grizzlies after joining the organization in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Purdue Fort Wayne.
He has become a key contributor off the bench, although he did start 23 of the 55 games he appeared in last season, averaging 4.3 points, as well as a career-high 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
While Konchar entered the NBA as a journeyman with limited expectations, Wells is being viewed as a player who has a chance to make a sizable impact in the future after Memphis selected him 39th overall in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft.
After starring for two seasons at Division II Sonoma State, Wells transferred to Washington State and instantly contributed at a high level, averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game last season, while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.
That was enough to compel the Grizzlies to use a draft pick on the 21-year-old wing, who will look to carve out a role for himself as a rookie.
After making three consecutive playoff appearances from 2021 to 2023, the Grizz bottomed out last season and finished just 27-55.
Injuries were perhaps the biggest culprit for the downturn, as Ja Morant, Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane all missed significant time.
The Grizzlies appear to be much healthier entering the 2024-25 campaign, and based on his prank, it appears Konchar is aiming to keep things lose as Memphis embarks on what could be a bounce-back year.
