Cedric Coward Reveals Development Focus in Second Grizzlies Season

Cedric Coward is averaging 8.7 rebounds through six games of his second season with the Memphis Grizzlies. As a rookie, he averaged 5.9.

He has also made 15 of his 26 3-point attempts. Of those 15 makes, 14 came off assists, according to Basketball-Reference. His usage rate has dropped to 16.1% from 21.5% last season.

At the free-throw line, he is 4-of-6 in six games. Last season, he went 140-of-166 at the line.

Coward spoke at shootaround Wednesday before the Grizzlies hosted the Indiana Pacers at FedExForum. Becoming more of a creator with the ball is part of what he has been building toward.

"Just quickness, ultimately making sure, defensive quickness, lateral quickness, start-stop, stuff like that," Coward said. "Making sure you're just comfortable understanding the system. Obviously, ball handling is another thing, trying to become more of a creator. And honestly, just doing what you can to help the team win."

"I really can't," Coward continued. "I'm not going to detail what I did. But at the same time, I made sure to hit the points in my game that I knew were weaknesses and try to build them and build them until they become strengths of mine. And at the end of the day, really just trying to make impact winning plays on the court."

Coward has been called for 24 fouls in six games. He picked up 5 in three of them, including the Oct. 21 opener against the Utah Jazz.

He averaged 2.0 fouls per game last season. His steals are up to 1.2 per game from 0.6.

At Utah on Oct. 26, Coward went 4-of-4 from 3-point range and finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Memphis won 110-105, and Coward said afterward that the Grizzlies love games like that one because of what they show.

Three nights later at Portland, he had 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in a 124-103 win.

His line Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans was 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. New Orleans won 135-134 in overtime, ending a 6-0 start for Memphis.

In July, Coward scored 28 points against the Houston Rockets in a Summer League game. The Grizzlies held training camp at Belmont University in Nashville.

He drew votes as the player most likely to break out this season in NBA.com's annual GM Survey.

Portland took Coward with the 11th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Memphis acquired his rights that night for the draft rights to Yang Hansen, a 2028 first-round pick from Orlando, and two second-round picks.

He averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 62 games as a rookie, with 47 starts. He shot 47.1% from the field and 33.8% from 3-point range.

Coward made the All-Rookie First Team and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. Before the draft, he played at Willamette University, Eastern Washington, and Washington State, and he was born in Fresno, California.

Memphis has exercised his $6.29 million team option for the 2027-28 season. The Grizzlies hold an $8.34 million option on him for 2028-29.