Grizzlies player has been one of the top two rookies

Some of the stories about the Memphis Grizzlies’ franchise point guard quitting on them at times may have swayed outsiders into thinking what the organization is really about or have taken the spotlight away from those who deserve it. It remains a good environment for young player development. Cedric Coward attested to this when speaking with Grant Afseth of RG.org, and a scout told them that his defense is the goods: “Memphis hasn’t had that type of wing in years. His ceiling on that end is really, really high.”

The 22-year-old has easily been a top-two rookie and hasn’t missed a game. Lately, he’s started five outings in a row, too. He’ll assuredly find himself on a rookie team, but could he earn the top prize among newcomers?

Coward also explained to RG.org that his coaches and teammates deserve the most credit for empowering him. He’s sixth in rookie scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game, but has a higher effective field goal percentage than four players ahead of him (Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Jeremiah Fears, Dylan Harper). The only one ahead both in scoring and in EFG percentage is Kon Knueppel.

Coward’s defense makes him such an unattractive prospect. The list of ballers tallying at least 14-to-15 points nightly with high-level disruption is not long. It makes him a winning player and before long, he'll be calling out opponent sets like some of his teammates.

Yet, Knueppel has shown some breathtaking scoring and efficiency while catching star-player coverages at times, and that’s usually enough to win it among rookies. His EFG percentage on pull-up jumpers (2.6) is 31.1 percent (70.5) higher than Coward’s (1.8, 39.4).

Coward is still a while away from being at that level, but he’s already set a good foundation as a 39.7 percent shooter on catch-and-shoot triples and being an above-average finisher at close range. His other fine traits include only committing 1.2 turnovers, and rebounding 14.5 percent of opponents' missed shots, putting him in the 91st percentile for wing players, per Cleaning the Glass.

He'll need to keep playing at that level so he gets rewarded with more minutes. Coach Tuomas lisalo has only let him play 30 minutes twice through 18 outings, and won’t raise the count prematurely even when the team is low bodies.

Grizzlies' other star needs to step up

Which guard is the best trade value: Trae Young, LaMelo Ball or Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies' winning streak without Morant pushes them higher in NBA power rankings