Memphis May Have Won the NBA Draft — Cedric Coward Film Breakdown

Memphis May Have Won the NBA Draft — Cedric Coward Film Breakdown

why do so many people consider Cedric Howard to be the steel of the first round the Memphis Grizzlies got him with the 11th pick and he brings so much to the table he is an exceptional player and today we’re diving into his game film talking about what he’s going to bring to the Grizzlies and why he was such a good pick
he’s trying to push the pace behind the back kicks it out coward lines up an open triple and got it
hello everyone and welcome back into Scout Team Sports today like you saw in the intro we are talking Cedric Coward now so many folks are high on this guy myself included but he is a bit of a man of mystery so he spent last season at Washington State was only there for about six games before getting hurt with a shoulder injury and prior to that he played some time at a lower level of competition even starting his career off against D3 opponents at a D3 school but there’s a lot on tape that suggests he is not just going to be an effective NBA player but potentially a standout one so what we’re going to do we have all of the game film assembled we’re going to jump right in and talk about why Cedric Howard can be such an impactful piece for the Memphis Grizzlies now where he looks most poised to make an immediate impact is with his shooting so last year at Washington State given it’s a smaller sample size he still shot 40% from three and the year before that was putting up comparable numbers now he’s a long rangy athlete but his jump shot looks incredibly fluid and it just looks like an NBA jump shot as you see it now he’s pretty comfortable off the dribble he’s comfortable as a catch and shoot guy but what I like most about him is you see him relocate on the perimeter very well and at the NBA level that’s so important because you have to be able to make plays off of other playmakers and there’s an abundance of those in the league and so when Cedric Coward steps in he is smart enough and has a high enough basketball IQ to relocate as action happens in front of him so you’re seeing multiple clips here of when he’s taking a a few steps to the right or left to get himself just a little bit more open and his ability to be a catch and shoot spot up shooter makes him a threat and a contender to play some minutes so I started to get really intrigued with Cedric Coward when I started to go back in his game film and check him out at some previous stops and so when I looked at his time at Eastern Washington specifically the year before this past one he spent a lot of time doing some pretty interesting things so for instance he was used most that year as a postup option but it’s not like he was just going down to the post and backing his man down he is really smart with how he uses his body so I want to show you some action of him uh working against smaller guards and using that size to his advantage as you’re going to see these clips throughout this package I just want you to keep in mind that this is a future lottery pick playing at Eastern Washington against a variety of competition but he is so smart with how he uses his body and skill set within the game so guys a lot of players will refrain from this type of work uh you know it’s not the easiest thing to do it’s kind of a will and skill thing but he is smart but when he gets switched off or has a smaller player guarding him he uses his body and size well and knows what’s going on around the court and you see him finish not just bullying guys to the basket but he’s smart he can fade away if he gets a little bit of position he seals really really well and gives his guys great passing lanes so this isn’t even a skill that I think necessarily translates one to one to the NBA but it is something that’s gonna allow to just it proves my point that he is a very smart basketball player who understands the game at a very high level
now the last part of his game that I wanted to focus on just a little bit is that he has that innate athleticism that you want to see out of a high draft pick uh you know some guys have all the offensive skill in the world but you just don’t see those flashes of of highlevel athleticism and I want to make sure that I highlight that I do think he has those now Coward mostly shows his run and jump athleticism in transition and he is really good there uh has a knack for getting out and finding a good path but he’s also very quick off of his feet so you’ll see in a few of these his gather is pretty small for a guy his size he doesn’t require a ton of load up he can get up and get to the rim like you just saw off that offensive rebound and he’s just uh he’s really savvy at at taking angles as well so again like most parts of his game he reads the floor well is able to make cuts when necessary uh takes the right path to the rim and knows when it’s in his wheelhouse to go up and try to finish on somebody so you don’t see a lot of of kind of mistimed gathers or guys getting chased downs because he’s smart enough to understand what his athletic capabilities are so it’s going to be really fun to watch him and Jaw in the same back court and and do really fun things on the basketball court so this is an area of his game where as a Grizzlies fan you should be excited now as we go into our last film package here I want to highlight the other aspect of his game that led to him being drafted this high and that’s that he has a really high ceiling as a defender in his last year at Washington or at Eastern Washington he had 50 blocks so I want to show you the type of impact he can have on the defensive end of the court now if you take nothing else away from these highlight packages I want you to take away the fact that Coward is an extremely versatile defender a lot of times when you see wings or guards who rack up blocks on a season the reason for that is you know one of two things one is like they can really time their jump well on the perimeter or two they are really good at chasing things down but what I was most impressed by watching uh these clips is that at Eastern Washington he rotated over a lot and was actually acting as a as a rim protector like he’s not trying to chase something down from behind he’s meeting guys at the rim he’s long enough and quick enough off of his feet to contest shots block shots and then play passing lanes and get steals so you can do a lot of very interesting things with him on the defensive end of the court now the last thing that I want to talk about with Coward before I give you my final thoughts is I am so impressed with him as a person if you watched any interviews with him or you if you haven’t watched any of those I just encourage you to do so the way he answers questions and approaches the game of basketball for me is is very inspiring because I I think that’s a way a lot of people should approach it specifically when you’re getting drafted into the NBA I think at a at a minimum Cedric Coward has a spot in a locker room in the NBA in some form or fashion and and at the end of the day once his playing career is over this just seems like a guy who is going to end up in a front office somewhere uh so for that reason alone I I just think that guys who have that mindset paired with his athletic ability tend to succeed and so as I transition here into my final thoughts it’s really simple for me as a as someone who analyzes basketball who takes a really deep dive into statistical analysis if he can stay injuryfree and hold up from a health perspective the ceiling is incredibly high for him and as you talk about his fit with a team like the Memphis Grizzlies who have a star uh in John Morant someone that is is going to take a ton of attention from defenses and teams that they’re playing it’s going to open the door for someone like a Cedric Coward to come in and really exceed expectations right off the bat uh even just as a floor spacing option on the offensive end and as a versatile defender on the other side of the court he fits in well with so many of their pieces so the Grizzlies I think are setting themselves up to be a a successful franchise over the next few years because at pick you know 11 you got a guy who could who could outweigh that spot now is he as purely talented as some of the guys who went in the top five top 10 um in some cases yes in other cases no he doesn’t have the innate talent that they have but what I can only impart on you guys uh enough is that he has that basketball IQ he knows the game very well uh he’s a willing defender and a willing teammate i don’t think this is ever going to be a situation where you get caught up in Cedric Coward’s uh ego so if just fits in well with an organization that needs cohesive pieces you’re in a market in Memphis you know I’m a Charlotte Hornets fan and it’s tough in markets like that where it can be hard to attract some of the top talent in the league you need guys who can buy in invest in your city and be someone who you can sign and and keep around your organization just outside of that rookie contract so for those reasons I I’m a huge fan grizzlies fans please feel free to drop a note below let me know what you think i would love to have a discussion in the comments it’s always fun to talk basketball with people who are passionate about their team if you wouldn’t mind I highly recommend subscribing to the channel it’s just a great way to to be able to see the content I’m putting out live time i’m going to break down a ton of these picks which ones I like which ones I’m not a huge fan of and I just the more people that get involved in discussion the better for me but ultimately I I always like to end these videos by saying I appreciate each and every person who watches this i hope you got something out of it basketball is a huge passion for me i played I coached and it’s just something that I love being able to invest my time in and have meaningful conversations with folks who care about it so thank you so much for being here i hope to see you guys on the next one [Music]

The Memphis Grizzlies may have pulled off one of the biggest steals of the 2025 NBA Draft — and his name is Cedric Coward.

Selected 11th overall, Coward arrives in Memphis as one of the most intriguing prospects in the class. After rising from D3 basketball to starring at Eastern Washington and later Washington State, the 6’6″ wing brings elite shooting, defensive versatility, and basketball IQ that could make him the perfect fit alongside Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

In this full film breakdown, we dive into:

🔹 Why Coward’s three-level scoring will translate immediately in the NBA
🔹 His impact on Memphis’ spacing, ball movement, and perimeter defense
🔹 How Coach Tuomas Iisalo could deploy Coward alongside the Grizzlies’ core
🔹 Why NBA scouts were quietly raving about him pre-draft
🔹 How his background shows the mentality Memphis craves: grit, grind, and growth

🏀 Comparisons to Dillon Brooks? Maybe.
🧠 More mature than most rookies? Definitely.
🔥 Instant contributor or long-term gem? We break it all down here.

This pick might not have made the most headlines, but it could be the most important selection Memphis made since Ja Morant.

👉 Let us know in the comments: Was Cedric Coward the right pick at 11?

👀 Subscribe for more 2024 NBA Draft breakdowns, rookie fits, and Grizzlies offseason coverage!

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