Cedric Coward's second year starts with Grizzlies picking up his 2027-28 option
Cedric Coward, the 6-6 guard out of Washington State wearing No. 23 for the Memphis Grizzlies, is healthy and playing in the rotation to open 2026-27. On October 20 the Grizzlies exercised his option for 2027-28, per the report, a vote of confidence after a rookie year of 13.6 points in 62 games. He is 23, with one season of experience, and not on the injury report.
By the Grizzlies Nightly Desk · updated 20 h ago01The story of the nightWhere things stand right nowCoward is entering his second season in Memphis with no injury concerns.
Coward is entering his second season in Memphis with no injury concerns. He is not on the injury report and has no injury history on file. The front office made its early call on him on October 20, when the Grizzlies exercised options on Zach Edey and Coward for 2027-28, per the report. That keeps him under team control beyond this season. On the floor, he has appeared in all four of the team's early games, with Memphis winning three of them. His minutes have ranged from 12.3 to 26.0 so far, which suggests the coaching staff is still settling his role night to night. The most recent game, a win over Charlotte on October 16, was his best of the young season.
02The option decisionThe one piece of front office news on Coward is simple.
The one piece of front office news on Coward is simple. On October 20, the Grizzlies exercised their options on Edey and Coward for 2027-28, as reported. For a second-year player, that is the standard checkpoint, and picking it up this early in the season tells you where Memphis stands. The team had the full first month to decide and chose not to wait. Nothing in the move changes his status for this season. It locks in another year beyond it. There are no other rumors tied to him, no trade chatter and no contract talk outside the option itself. For a 23-year-old guard with one season behind him, that is as quiet and stable a situation as a player can ask for in October.
03What last season looked likeCoward's rookie season in 2025-26 was a solid one for a first-year guard.
Coward's rookie season in 2025-26 was a solid one for a first-year guard. He played 62 games at 25.8 minutes a night and averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists, with 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks. He turned it over 1.7 times per game on a 20.7 usage rate. The shooting numbers were the headline. He hit 47.1 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from three and 84.3 percent from the line, good for a 58.5 true shooting percentage. His plus-minus for the season was 0.4. Those are last season's numbers, not this season's, but they are the baseline Memphis is working from. A rookie who scores efficiently, rebounds for a guard and makes his free throws gives a coaching staff something to build on.
04The early-season gamesFour games into 2026-27, Coward's role has fluctuated.
Four games into 2026-27, Coward's role has fluctuated. He opened on October 5 against Atlanta with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 18.2 minutes in a win, with a plus-minus of 5.0. Two nights later against Orlando he had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 22.2 minutes in a loss, and his plus-minus was -13.0. On October 9 against Chicago his minutes dropped to 12.3 and he scored 2 points with 2 rebounds, though Memphis won and he was a 19.0 in plus-minus. Then came the Charlotte game on October 16, a win in which he put up 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 26.0 minutes with a plus-minus of 9.0. That last line is close to his rookie-year averages and came with his most minutes of the season.
05How he closed last seasonThe end of 2025-26 showed what Coward can do when the ball is in his hands more.
The end of 2025-26 showed what Coward can do when the ball is in his hands more. On April 8 against Denver, in a loss, he scored 27 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists in just 21.9 minutes. Ten days earlier, on March 28 against Chicago, he had 24 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in 24.2 minutes in a win. In between, there were quieter nights, including 7 points against Phoenix on March 30 and a pair of 15-point games against New York and Toronto in early April. Memphis lost most of those late games, but Coward's production stayed steady. Those closing weeks are part of why the option decision was an easy one.
06What to watchThe question for Coward this season is minutes.
The question for Coward this season is minutes. Last season he played 25.8 a night. In the first four games of 2026-27 he has only once topped that mark, with 26.0 against Charlotte. If the Charlotte game is the template, his numbers should move back toward the 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds he posted as a rookie. If the 12.3-minute night against Chicago becomes common, the counting stats will sag even if the efficiency holds. The option pickup says the front office sees him as part of the plan through 2027-28. The next stretch of games will show whether the coaching staff is ready to make him a nightly fixture or keep working him in around the rest of the roster.
Mitchell13.6 ppg
