Cedric Coward - NBA Mock Draft Roundup 1.0

Will Coward ever suit up for Duke? That is to be determined, but his performance at the combine might make his decision that much harder. Coward played in his six games this past season for Washington State because of a season-ending shoulder injury, but has all the goods to sneak into the end of the first round.

Coward is another player teams are monitoring after opting to test the predraft process. He had an outstanding showing at the combine on Tuesday, converting 17-of-25 in the 3-point star drill and 14-of-23 from the corner. He also measured in with a 7-foot, 2 1/4-inch wingspan, enabling him to play the passing lanes and defend multiple positions. He seems like an early entry prospect who could opt to stay in the draft with a good showing in workouts and interviews. If he opts to withdraw, he will transfer to Duke next season.

Coward is my bet for this year's riser into the first round. This might not be high enough. Coward only played six games this year, but he was lights out in those appearances, averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and shooting 56 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 84 percent from the line before a shoulder injury knocked him out. I saw Coward work out in Los Angeles in April, and it's hard to overemphasize just how impressive he was. His balance and fluidity athletically are special for a player who is 6-6 with a 7-1 or so wingspan. Everything in the kinetic chain with Coward is perfect. Everything is in one motion and clean with the jumper, with easy, repeatable mechanics to pair with touch. He seems to have added some explosiveness, too. He's a real upside swing for a team in the back half of the first round that wants to bet on his current trajectory.

Coward committed to Duke earlier this week and is a perfect fit there if he chooses to attend. But my opinion is that he will prove himself worthy of staying in the draft.

Pro Comparison: Jarace Walker

Scouts anticipate Cedric Coward rising into the first round after his measurements mirrored Kawhi Leonard's and he lit up shooting drills at the combine. While he only played six games in 2024-25, he created enough intrigue with his three-level shotmaking, defense, body type and athleticism to create serious intrigue and visions of upside.

The whispering about Coward around the league hasn't quite turned into a shout, but it's definitely as loud as an "inside voice" at this point. That's probably because a ballhandling leap is more or less the only thing keeping Coward from being widely perceived as a lottery type of talent in this class. Coward's a young senior at only 21 years old, and his touch from beyond the arc and in the paint has really begun to synchronize with his broad shoulders, condor wingspan, facehugger hands, and increasingly sharp footwork in a way that has allowed him to imprison defenders. Tightening a wobbly handle would help, too—but history shows that handling development is as steep an uphill climb as shooting.

Coward committed to play next year at Duke, marking his fourth stop in a winding college career, but I wonder whether that was merely a PR move to keep the buzz about his draft stock building. Any team that takes Coward will need to give him time to develop his handle, and OKC, with its track record of taking on longer-term projects in the draft, could be the right organization to try to tap into his immense upside.

Coward has gone from a Division III player to a potential first-round pick in just a few years behind his rapid development into a prospect with a valued 3-and-D skill-set. With his 7-foot-2 wingspan, Coward is one of the fast risers throughout the pre-draft process with team executives from multiple teams believing he won't last until the late first round or the early second as they once had hoped. Even having him going 22nd to the Hawks could be too low since he's a high-floor player with intriguing upside thanks to his passing vision and intriguing pull-up shooting.