It was a good week for most Pro Cougs in the NBA. Cedric Coward came back to life after a disappointing week previously. Jaylen Wells was the best Coug this week. Since last week, he has found himself again, and if he can keep up the pace, he may be a dark horse for the Most Improved Player award. Mouhamed Gueye had a bad week but stuffed the stat sheet in one game and Klay Thompson was Klay Thompson, per usual.
**Cedric Coward (Grizzlies) –** Coward bounced back from last week and got back to his normal averages. He exploded for a double-double against the Clippers and drew comparisons to Kawhi Leonard. To start the week, Coward dropped nine points with three rebounds on 30.8% shooting from the field, Coward struggled to get going. However, against the Clippers, Coward showed out. He dropped 23 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
To end the week Coward had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. Coward had a handful of highlights against the Blazers. On one, Coward was tripped by a Blazer, got up and threw a lob pass to Jaylen Wells. Coward is a big fan of Leonard, so after the Clippers game he asked the champion if the two could work out in the offseason.
**Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies) –** It is safe to say Wells is back. He shot better from three this week than he did last week and he has looked like his 2024 early season self. Against the Spurs, he had 20 points, one rebound and two assists on 60% 3-point shooting. Against the Clippers, he dropped 17 points and three rebounds on 60% shooting once again. To finish off the week against the Blazers, he had 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. His resurgence coincided with center Zach Edey’s return and it is almost as if Edey makes Wells play better with spacing and rebounding.
**Mouhamed Gueye (Hawks) –** I may have jinxed Gueye last week when I called him Mr. Consistent because he was terrible this week. Gueye did not score more than four points in any game last week, he also shot 0% from the field in two out of the four games. Against the Pistons, he had one point, one rebound, one steal and three blocks. Against the Clippers, he had zero points, six rebounds and one block. Against the Nuggets, he had three points and three rebounds and to finish the week he had four points and one rebound.
**Klay Thompson (Mavericks) –** The Coug great started off the week hot. Against the Nuggets he had 15 points, five rebounds and one assist on 60% shooting. Against the Heat, Thompson totaled 17 points, three rebounds, one assists and one block on 41% shooting on 3-pointers. However, to end the week, Thompson laid an egg with three points and five rebounds on 20% 3-point shooting. Since he started dating hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion and she has been posting about their endeavors, Thompson’s season has been rejuvenated.
It was another eventful week for Pro Cougs in the NBA. Most rose, one stumbled, but everyone had moments that showed why WSU continues to leave its mark in the league. If Coward and Wells keep trending upward and if Thompson stays steady while Gueye regroups, next week could be even better. The Palouse Products are heating up.