An anonymous NBA scout shared some thoughts on Cedric Coward ahead of his second professional season.
While the Memphis Grizzlies are now in a position to build around incoming rookie Cameron Boozer as their franchise player, they have more young talent beyond the 19-year-old.
One example is rising sophomore Cedric Coward, who is coming off a strong rookie season and should have a chance to establish himself as a long-term piece alongside Boozer.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, an anonymous NBA scout offered some thoughts on the 23-year-old. The scout opined that Coward is going to be a "solid NBA player" but indicated that he may have a ceiling.
“They like Coward there," the scout said. "I thought he was solid last season. He got a lot of hype because of his draft position and some good play early on. He got hurt for a good stretch. He's another guy that I think is going to be a solid NBA player. I'm not sure what his over-the-tops would be. He plays solid defense, has a good body and plays hard and that kind of stuff. Can he develop a bullseye shot? I don't know. Is he a slasher? I don't really think he's an incredible slasher. So his ceiling might be in that Keegan Murray, Trey Murphy area, but at least that's better than nothing though. At least he's a player.”
Coward, the No. 11 overall pick in last year's draft, had a productive 2025-26 season. He made 62 appearances and 47 starts, playing 25.8 minutes per contest. Within that role, he averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The wing didn't begin the season in the starting lineup but quickly showed that he was ready for that type of promotion. By his 14th appearance in the NBA, he was starting.
Murray and Murphy are interesting comparisons for Coward with regard to a possible ceiling. Here's a look at how each of those two produced last season:
- Murray: 14.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 42.0% FG, 27.7% 3P -- was limited to 23 games
- Murphy: 21.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.8 APG, 47.0% FG, 37.9% 3P -- played in 66 games
Murray, for what it's worth, has historically been more efficient than that, as he holds career shooting percentages of 44.7 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from deep.
Coward is a nice success story in the NBA. In college, he originally started at the D3 level before landing at Eastern Washington and eventually Washington State. He later almost ended up at Duke but opted for the NBA at that time.
Even though he made just six appearances at Washington State in his final collegiate season due to injury, his overall resume was good enough for him to be selected at No. 11 overall. He arguably outplayed his draft slot as a rookie, as he ended up on the All-Rookie First Team and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year race.
While the scout from earlier said that Coward is at least a "player," he may have a chance to become much more than that depending on where his development goes from here. The Grizzlies, of course, would love for him to become a long-term running mate for Boozer.
