Cedric Coward 2025 NBA Draft Profile

Cedric Coward 2025 NBA Draft Profile

We are just over one week away from the 2025 NBA Draft! Today, we will be previewing Washington State’s Cedric Coward, a draft riser despite missing most of last season due to injury! Let’s jump right into it!

Height (no shoes): 6’5.25 (7’2.25 wingspan, 8’10 standing reach)

Weight: 213

Draft Age: 21.8

Position: Wing

Cedric Coward was a zero-star recruit out of Central East High School in Fresno, Calif. He began his collegiate career at Division-III Williamette, averaging 19.5 points on 60.5 percent shooting and 45.3 percent from 3-point range. He eventually transferred to Eastern Washington, where he spent two seasons under Dave Riley.

He broke out in 2023-24, averaging 15.4 points and 6.7 rebounds on 56.5 percent shooting, including 38.3 percent from beyond the arc (4.2 3PA) and 89.5 percent from the free-throw line (2.7 FTA). Coward followed Riley to Washington State, and while he was limited to just six games due to a rotator cuff injury, he made a very strong impression, posting 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks. Let’s jump into his profile!

Strengths:

You have to start with his frame; he has a body that NBA teams covet at 6-foot-5 with a plus-nine wingspan and 8-foot-10 standing reach. He has the best wingspan amongst guards by over two inches while also having a higher standing reach than both Matas Buzelis and Amen Thompson, who went in previous drafts.

Size matters, length matters. He’s a fluid mover, but used his length all over the court as a rim protector, finisher, free safety in the passing lanes, etc. His hand size was also the third-best for guards in the class in both width and height. His physical measurables check out as one of the best in the class.

Coward projects to be one of the best shooters in this year’s class. I think he’s more of a stand-still shooter and not a movement shooter, but he’s got a high release and perfect mechanics. He doesn’t generate a ton of lift, but he’s got a high arc and shouldn’t have much of an issue getting shots up over other wings.

He nailed 38.8 percent of his 3s for his Division-I career, where he took 37.4 percent of his shots. I think he can be a near-40-percent shooter at the next level, and his career 83.2 percent free-throw percentage indicates that his shot should translate.

While he projects to be a wing, Coward showed in a limited sample that he has a legit post game. I love his footwork and he’s got good body control. He’s got a soft touch and isn’t afraid to play through contact against smaller defenders.

Furthermore, he’s an excellent finisher around the rim, converting on 72.0 percent of his non-dunk rim finishes in his last full season at Eastern Washington, according to Barttorvik. He’s a smart cutter and off-ball mover, where I think Coward will provide tangible value at the next level.

Coward’s assist-to-turnover ratio in college wasn’t good, but I thought he was a legitimately good connector and didn’t try to force too many passes; this is where not all assists (or turnovers) are created equally, which we’ll get to below. He wasn’t someone who made reads out of the pick-and-roll–instead being a player who wouldn’t be afraid to make the extra pass nor would be afraid to make entry passes.

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Weaknesses:

For one, his name is awful.

Jokes aside, while he improved with more usage over his three-year career at the Division-I level, I have genuine questions about Coward’s ability to self-create. In his very limited sample at Washington State this year, there were signs of improved ball handling in the halfcourt. However, I still don’t trust it consistently relative to a few of his peers.

He will go to crossovers and between-the-leg dribbles, but I don’t love his secondary burst and the tightness of his handle; it’s too unstable when he’s driving to the rim. He didn’t have very many isolation possessions for this very reason.

While this isn’t a weakness, if Coward is going to specialize in an off-ball role at the next level (to begin his career), I want to see him be more of a movement shooter. For as well as he moves off-ball, I’d like to see him expand that part of his game–even though it’s not a necessity to be a high-level 3-and-D marksman. I’d also like to see him continue to make strides as a passer.

Cedric Coward’s a good-not-great athlete. He’ll need to continue to fill out his frame, especially in his lower half, so he doesn’t get pushed around by NBA-caliber wings if he projects to play the 3 long-term.

Projection: Mid-to-Late First Round Pick

In the limited sample I saw of Coward this season, I liked what I saw. He has the tools and skillset to be a very impactful (role) player. I wish I was able to watch him consistently against good competition, but he has the skillset to be a high-level 3-and-D role play finisher at the start of his NBA career–and potentially more if his ballhandling/self-creation continues to improve. There’s a role for him.

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