Cedric Coward staying in NBA Draft

Washington State forward Cedric Coward is officially keeping his name in the 2025 NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (X link).

We previously wrote that this was an expected outcome, but it’s notable for a couple of reasons. For starters, Coward had committed to playing next season at Duke, but will no longer do so as he heads to the pros. Secondly, it is perhaps indicative that Coward has first-round value to teams. He’s currently ESPN’s 35th best available prospect, but after an impressive combine, this decision seems to indicate he’s expecting to be taken in the first.

Coward played six games at Washington State last season before suffering a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the year. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks while shooting 55.7% from the floor and 40.0% from three during his stint with the Cougars.

Before transferring to Washington State, he played two years at Eastern Washington, averaging 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 66 games there.