Cedric Coward was one of the more unexpected early entrants in this year’s draft, having missed most of the college season with a partially torn labrum and initially committing to transfer to Duke, fueling the assumption he’d return for another year. However, after an impressive showing at the NBA Draft Combine, his decision to forgo Duke and remain in the draft looks far less surprising.

At the combine, Coward measured in at 6’5.25” barefoot with a whopping 7’2.25” wingspan and 38.5 inch max vertical. Coward’s intersection of length, vertical athleticism, and shooting touch is extremely rare. Since the 2000 NBA Draft, only four sub 6’6” players have had a wingspan over 7’2”, a max vertical above 35 inches, and a free-throw percentage of at least 70%: Kelly Oubre, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jalen Williams, and Cedric Coward. Taking it even further, Jalen Williams and Cedric Coward would be the only players with a free-throw percentage above 80% in their pre-draft year.

The shooting touch goes beyond the free-throw line. Coward is a career 58.6% on far 2s, 76.1% on 2-point attempts, and 37.6% from the 3-point line. This shows up on tape as well, where he has a high and quick release, enabling him to shoot with versatility, whether it is off movement, off the catch, or off the dribble. 

While much of his career production came against weaker competition in the Big Sky, his physical tools help support the idea that his game can translate to higher levels. There is some proof of this during his brief stint in the WCC, where his production scaled up against stronger, more athletic opponents like Iowa before his season was cut short by injury.

What makes Coward intriguing is that he is also a high feel player. He reads defenses effectively as a passer and makes snappy decisions, regardless of whether the requirement is to make a single-level or layered read.

The biggest concerns with Coward’s game are his handle, strength, and perimeter defense. 

When it comes to his handle, Cedric Coward struggles to dribble in tighter spaces, particularly in traffic or when faced with stunts and digs from help defenders. His dribble tends to be too high, and he often defaults to turning drives into post-ups (Barkleys) to avoid pressure on his handle. While he’s comfortable using Barkleys to back down defenders and get to his spots, that strength does not translate to traditional drives. He often has trouble using his body to create space when initiating the drive or generating better finishing angles once he’s already on the move. This is why he has a heavy post-up rate in every setting he’s played in.

Defensively, Coward’s ground coverage, length, and vertical athleticism enable him to be a good roamer and backline help defender. These same traits allow him to be a fantastic rebounder, despite his strength limitations. The concern on the defensive end is that Coward does not functionally apply his length well enough on the perimeter. He struggles to get over screens and often opts to go under to avoid getting beat by paint pressure. This is reflected in his 1.8 percent career steal rate, low considering the size of his wingspan. He also needs to clean up his closeout footwork. His steps are often choppy, and he does not close out with wide hips, instead leaving his top foot open and allowing ballhandlers to attack it.

Overall, Coward has a real chance to be a closeout creator and even run some second-side pick and roll, but he needs to land in a system that uses scheme to create easier driving lanes. 

Even though he is 21.77 years old on draft night, playing through hand-offs and screens would give Coward the margins to develop his handle and strength long-term. This would be the best way to leverage his physical tools and overwhelm defenses with momentum. His footwork on defense can be improved, but he is better optimized helping on the backline rather than at the point of attack and navigating screens. However, with his recovery tools and feel, he could become a strong lock and trail defender when forced into perimeter actions.