Cedric

Coward

Coward was, again, one of Memphis’ top performers on Sunday. He struggled inside the arc but was lethal from beyond it, draining all five of his three-point attempts before finishing tied for a team-high 19 points. The second-year guard also fared well on the glass and as a facilitator in the loss. If he can increase his three-point efficiency and take a step forward as a passer, he should be in for a good sophomore season as it pertains to fantasy basketball.

The results in Summer League don’t mean a great deal, but teams with a chance to take home the title usually ramp things up a notch toward the end of the week. Coward has surpassed 20 points in each of his last two games, with Saturday’s effort helping push the Grizzlies into Sunday’s title game. Given the players Memphis has moved on from within the last year, the franchise is embarking on a new era, and Coward is expected to be one of the leaders. And his skill set is such that he could be an incredibly valuable player in fantasy basketball, especially for those competing in category leagues.

Coward and the Grizzlies rolled to a 96-64 victory, guaranteeing themselves a place in Saturday’s semifinals. The second-year guard was efficient offensively, shooting well over 50 percent from the field, with his final line lacking only a blocked shot. With the Grizzlies embarking on a new era, the tandem of Coward and lottery pick Cameron Boozer will be asked to lead the way, and they possess the highest fantasy ceilings on the current roster.

That makes two double-doubles in as many games for Coward, who also dished out four assists. The combination of injuries that limited him to 62 games as a rookie and the Grizzlies beginning a new era without Ja Morant could explain why Coward is still playing in Summer League. Still, it would be unsurprising if he were shut down at some point. Due to the changes made by the Grizzlies’ brain trust over the past season and this summer, Coward will have a higher fantasy ceiling in 2026-27.

Making his first appearance in Las Vegas after shoulder surgery sidelined him last summer, Coward finished Friday’s 97-96 victory with a solid double-double. As was the case in Salt Lake City, the Grizzlies wing struggled with his perimeter shot on Friday, shooting 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. However, Coward provided value as a rebounder, defender and playmaker. With the Grizzlies turning the page from the Ja Morant era, Coward is one of the players who will figure prominently in their rotation next season. That makes him a more valuable fantasy basketball option, especially if Coward can improve his perimeter shooting.

While he shot 33.8 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie, shoulder surgery that ended his final college season prematurely factored into Coward’s shooting struggles last season. He was only 3-of-12 from deep on Monday and is now 12-of-34 from the field through two summer league games, but Coward did clean things up from inside the arc. The Grizzlies’ wing shot 6-of-9 from two on Monday after missing all four of his attempts on Saturday. Given the number of shots he’s gotten up so far, Coward may not see much time in Las Vegas later this week.

Coward didn’t have his most effective shooting performance in the first game of his second summer league, but that clearly wasn’t an issue during his rookie season. He was able to make an impact on the glass and defensively, while he shot 3-of-9 beyond the arc, he was 0-of-4 on two-point attempts. Coward shot 72.9 percent in the restricted area last season and 47 percent on two-pointers, so this shouldn’t be a lingering issue for him. He may not see many more appearances this summer.

Flagg, Knueppel, and Edgecombe all received 100 first-place votes, with Harper’s 93 votes not far behind. Cedric Coward’s 29 first-place votes were the least of the first-teamers. Meanwhile, Derik Queen, Maxime Raynaud, Jeremiah Fears, Ace Bailey, and Colin Murray-Boyles were named to the All-Rookie Second team.

Coward joins the long list of Grizzlies players who won’t be available for Friday’s game. Adama Bal and Dariq Whitehead should play plenty due to the injuries, with the former logging 39 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Nuggets.

Coward needed only 22 minutes of game action to finish as the game’s leading scorer. He was dialed in from beyond the arc, took advantage of his free-throw attempts, and made the most of his scoring inside the arc. As a result, the rookie logged his seventh 20-point game of the season. He’ll have a chance to land another big performance on Friday against the Jazz.