Sam Vecenie provides latest on Duke commit Cedric Coward’s NBA Draft stock

On April 28, Washington State transfer Cedric Coward committed to Duke, while stating he would go through the NBA Draft process. If NBA teams like Coward’s game nearly as much as The Athletic draft expert Sam Vecenie, Coward might never suit up for the Blue Devils.

“I think he’s awesome, just point blank,” Vecenie said about Coward. “I just don’t know that NBA teams are quite as high on him. I have Cedrick coward like at the edge of my lottery, personally… I saw him work out, and it’s one of those things where, you see a kid where all of the kinetic energy flows in the right way. Everything is smooth.

“Kids that are 6’6” with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, like Cedric Coward has, there’s supposed to be some awkwardness there, right? There’s supposed to be some kind of funkiness with how they move. And with him, there’s none of it. It’s all smooth.”

Coward’s rise through the college basketball ranks has been nothing short of meteoric. He appeared in just six games last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. However, in his limited action, Coward played extremely well.

He averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 55.7% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc. Before transferring to Washington State, Coward spent two seasons at Eastern Washington and one year at Willamette University, a Division III program.

In his junior season at Washington State, Coward was unanimously voted an All-Big Sky First-Team selection. Additionally, he was named to the NABC All-District First Team.

Cedric Coward played high school basketball at Central East (CA), where he was an unranked prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was 2021 Central HS Athlete of the Year.

Despite Vecenie’s high evaluation of Coward, there’s still hope for Duke fans that he returns next season. After all, Vecenie will be the first to admit that NBA teams might have a different perspective than him.

“He’s not the most explosive dude in the world, but I think he’s added some explosiveness since last time we saw him,” Vecenie said. “I just don’t know where teams are. He obviously is committed to Duke now, and we will see what happens with that. Maybe he goes to Duke. Maybe he doesn’t. Also, he’s just like an awesome kid.”

Duke fans could be waiting a while longer to find out if Coward is on the Blue Devils’ roster next season. Players have until June 15 to pull out of the NBA Draft.