Yes, the Portland Trail Blazers made the playoffs and the Memphis Grizzlies did not. But as each day passes, the Grizzlies clearly made the right choice to trade up for Cedric Coward on draft night. The Grizzlies gave up the 16th overall pick, a 2028 first-round pick (via Orlando), and two future second-round picks. Was it a steep price? Absolutely, but sometimes you have to take big swings to get your guy, and the Grizzlies did that.
Even though the Trail Blazers have a bright future, one thing is clear so far. The Grizzlies got the more NBA-ready player in Cedric Coward with the 11th overall pick, while Yang Hansen was very much a project pick at 16th overall. Don't get me wrong, Yang Hansen was an absolute joy to watch in Summer League. However, it seems like he's some time away from being a key rotation piece in Portland.
Last night's Game 1 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs and this postseason run for the Blazers are a clear sign that Yang Hansen is not quite ready to be a key contributor in Portland.
Yang Hansen has hardly played in the postseason
Even before the Play-In Tournament, Yang Hansen did not play a whole lot for the Blazers throughout the season. Hansen appeared in 43 games and made one start, but only averaged 7 minutes per game. As a rookie, Hansen averaged 2.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. Given the fact he was already not a key rotation piece in the regular season, he has not factored into Portland's postseason plans.
Portland pulled off an impressive road win against the Phoenix Suns in the 7-seed vs. 8-seed matchup of the Play-In Tournament. Unfortunately for Yang Hansen, he did not play a single minute of that game. Last night, Yang Hansen ended up making his playoff debut in Game 1 against the Spurs, but it was in the last minute with the game already out of reach for Portland.
This does not necessarily mean that Hansen can't evolve into a key player for the Blazers, but the Grizzlies absolutely made the right call to move up and maximize their chances at an immediate NBA impact.
Cedric Coward can be a driving force in the Grizzlies winning again soon
Cedric Coward has an extremely strong case to go top 5 in any hypothetical 2025 redraft. When looking at the players selected in the 10-20 range, Cedric Coward was clearly the most impactful rookie. Many of them can become key players for their respective teams; however, the Grizzlies should be thrilled with how well Coward performed as a rookie.
Despite being on multiple minute restrictions and the Grizzlies tanking, Cedric Coward averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 62 games. It begs the question of how much better Coward's season stats would've been had he played more minutes.
Given his upside as an off-ball offensive player and the fact he's a capable rim protector and rebounder even at 6-foot-5, we have likely not seen the best of Cedric Coward. An improvement as an on-ball creator would significantly raise the Grizzlies' floor and could even see Coward rise to stardom.
The Portland Trail Blazers have had a great season, and the Grizzlies ended up going a poor 25-57 for multiple reasons. But all the early signs show that the Grizzlies were right to make such an ambitious move to trade up for Cedric Coward in the 2025 NBA Draft.
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