Grizzlies hit 8 All-Rookie selections in 8 drafts after Cedric Coward’s First Team nod

The Grizzlies have now had eight All-Rookie selections across the last eight draft cycles:

• 2019: Jaren Jackson Jr., First Team
• 2020: Ja Morant, First Team and Rookie of the Year; Brandon Clarke, First Team
• 2021: Desmond Bane, Second Team
• 2024: GG Jackson, Second Team
• 2025: Jaylen Wells, First Team; Zach Edey, First Team
• 2026: Cedric Coward, First Team

That is a real track record. It is not one draft class carrying the whole argument. Memphis has found useful young players in different spots, with different skill sets, and has gotten them on the floor quickly enough to make an impression.

Coward’s selection matters because it keeps that pattern alive. For all the ups and downs around the Grizzlies, their draft-and-develop reputation still has weight. They keep turning picks into rookies who get noticed.