"Colin Cowherd Balled Out Tonight": NBA Fans Surprised as Rookie Cedric Coward's 27-Point Explosion Overshadows Ja Morant

The Memphis Grizzlies returned to winning ways on Saturday with a 128-103 win over the Indiana Pacers at the FedEx Forum. Despite starting with Ja Morant, the star was overshadowed by rookie Cedric Coward's 27-point performance, leaving NBA fans surprised.

Legion Hoops shared the rookie's stat line on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting his 27 points, 6 rebounds, and an impressive zero turnovers.

"Cedric Coward tonight: 27 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 9/13 FG, 6/6 3P (!!!)…and ZERO TURNOVERS," Legion Hoops wrote.

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Fans were pleasantly surprised by the rookie's performance and flocked to the comments section of this post to drop their reactions.

The Memphis Grizzlies traded up for Coward in the 2025 NBA draft after trading the draft rights of Yang Hanen to the Portland Trail Blazers. Many fans praised the team for this decision following his key performance on Saturday.

Coward has impressed in his first three games for the Grizzlies this season. Making his debut against the New Orleans Pelicans on opening night, the rookie recorded 14 points and 3 rebounds while shooting 5-5 from the field. He followed this performance with 16 points against the Miami Heat, before dropping a career high 27 points last night.

Overshadowing Ja Morant with his performance, the forward has a great shot selection. After posting a perfect shooting night against the Pelicans, Coward continued his strong form, going 6-for-6 from beyond the arc against the Pacers.

Over his first three appearances, the rookie has averaged 15.0 points per game while shooting an impressive 71.4% from the field.

Cedric Coward impresses against the Indiana Pacers as the rookie sets franchise record with his shooting form

Cedric Coward has had a bright start to his career in the league, with the rookie recording double digits in his first three appearances. However, he truly captured attention with his performance against the Pacers on Saturday, where he set a franchise record with his exceptional shooting ability.

The NBA's official X (formerly Twitter) account highlighted this record after the rookie dropped all six of his attempts from beyond the arc.

"27 POINTS. 6-6 FROM DEEP. Memphis' 2025 No. 11 pick Cedric Coward had an incredible showing at home tonight. He is the 1st rookie in @memgrizz franchise history to record 6 triples without a miss!" the NBA wrote.

Coward's performances have excited many fans as the Grizzlies continue to evolve after a major offseason of changes.

About the author

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

Know More

Grizzlies Nation! You can check out the latest Memphis Grizzlies Schedule and dive into the Grizzlies Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.

Edited by Arian Kashyap