Cedric Coward 2025 NBA Draft Profile

Cedric Coward 2025 NBA Draft Profile

College Career

Coward began his major college career at Eastern Washington as a sophomore after transferring from a DIII school. In 21.6 minutes, he averaged 7.3 points per game. He took a huge jump in his junior campaign, averaging 15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game along with about one steal and one block per game. Coward opted to transfer to Washington State for his senior season.

Through six games, Coward averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists before an injury kept him out for the remainder of the season. Coward showed flashes of elite talent, shooting 55.7% from the field and 40.0% from three in his limited time. However, those are fairly consistent with his career averages of 59.5% from the field and 38.8% from three. Coward shot an incredible 72.0% from two in his career, making him an interesting guard/forward prospect for the NBA draft.

Strengths

Coward excels at making shots. While he isn’t a lethal spot-up shooter, he makes threes at a consistent level that should translate to the NBA. He works incredibly well on the block, overpowering players and using his incredible wingspan to shoot over most other forwards and guards. Coward carves out space well and uses a surprisingly deep arsenal of post moves for efficient scoring. Defensively, he uses that wingspan to disrupt shots and get into passing lanes. They don’t always turn into steals and blocks, but he has the size to cause more disruption than the stat sheets have shown.

Coward’s most enticing attribute for the NBA draft is his decision-making. While he doesn’t make many flashy assists, he makes smart plays consistently. He also never forces his shot. While he averaged over 15 points per game the past two seasons, he only averaged just over ten shots per game. He will have a spot on an NBA roster as a smart scorer who can provide consistent and efficient scoring, avoiding bad shots and turnovers.

Weaknesses

As with all major injuries, Coward’s health and durability will be questioned. However, based on his NBA Combine perception, scouts aren’t as concerned as some may have expected, but there are still concerns. Outside of that, Coward’s ball handling is a glaring weakness. He carves out space well in the paint but struggles to get there with the ball. He showed some improvement off ball screens, but he will need to improve his handles for consistent results.

Coward has great size, strength, and agility, but he lacks the burst that often separates NBA players from college. He plays like he has more size than he does. It worked at Eastern Washington and against some lesser opponents at Washington State. However, he won’t have the same size advantage in the NBA. He will need to develop an ability to create his own shots, as carving space under the basket is much more difficult professionally. This has led to an overall lack of flashy plays, something that isn’t necessary at the NBA but often translates better at the next level than low-athleticism plays.

NBA Comparisons

Coward is more athletic than PJ Tucker, but he reminds me a lot of that kind of player. Tucker plays bigger than he is because of his size and makes a lot of right plays. However, Coward has a much higher offensive ceiling than Tucker. Coward can score, making him more like Dorian Finney-Smith than Tucker. However, if Coward continues to grow in both his game and size, he could have a ceiling nearly as high as Kawhi Leonard. Coward needs to improve, but that is the potential that earned him respect in the NBA Draft waters.

2025 NBA Draft Prediction

Some have rumored Coward to be in contention for a late lottery pick. However, he will likely find himself drafted in the second half of the first round.