Grizzlies Coach Shares High Praise For Cedric Coward After NBA Debut

Following Coward's dominant debut, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo delivered some meaningful praise for his rookie after a debut that exceeded the already lofty expectations following Coward into the NBA. However, it wasn't Coward's offense that his coach was most impressed with.

“Tremendous performance by Cedric,” Iisalo said. “I checked the plus-minus after a game, and +24 sounds about right. He had really high-level possessions against (Jordan) Poole after he got going early on, made another unreal vertical contest against an opposing big. In the last game, it was Kal’el Ware, today was Zion Williamson. 

Memphis lost a big piece in Desmond Bane this offseason, and Coward is already showing signs he could grow into a star for this team sooner rather than later.

“These are not average athletes that he's making plays against at the rim as a 2/3, and that's a quality that's really rare. Then, his ability to get on a break, get behind guys, and finish with physicality, just his space. He’s really growing,” he added.

Coward's Journey

The 22-year-old Fresno, Calif. native was originally slated to transfer to Duke after an impressive but brief six-game stint with Washington State in 2024-25, where Coward averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in six appearances for the Cougars.

Before transferring to Washington State, Coward was a two-year standout at Eastern Washington and earned Big Sky Conference Player of the Year honors as a junior after transferring from Division III Willamette after his freshman season.

While Coward was never a 20-point-per-game scorer at any of his three collegiate stops, he was the best and most impactful player on the floor during his time at each of those respective programs. A big reason for that is Coward's all-around ability to stuff that stat sheet even when he isn't the leading scorer, a trait Iisalo praised.

"It’s been one of the things that we've been very encouraged with him," Coward said "That even though his shot wasn't falling in the first exhibitions, he found a way to make an impact. Especially in the fourth quarter. He was very impactful, and in most of those games, and today, he did that for all four quarters.”

If Coward continues to play as he did on Tuesday night, his role should only grow in Memphis throughout the season.