It's been a strong week for Cedric Coward at the NBA Draft Combine. The Duke commit, the No. 13-ranked player in the college basketball transfer portal, measured well and finished as the No. 7 overall shooter (72%) and No. 9 from 3-point range (68%) in Chicago this week. The recent developments have made Coward a serious threat to spurn his commitment to the Blue Devils and stay in the draft, according to 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein.
"Coward has helped himself more than anyone in Chicago," Finkelstein said Tuesday, via the 247Sports College Basketball Show. "This is bad news for Duke. Sorry to break it, but Cedric Coward has some serious buzz. He went into the portal and committed to the Blue Devils, but he is trending towards becoming a first-round pick. The decision-making looks like it could be flipping. Coward had terrific measurements. He measured 6-foot-5.25 without shoes and 213 pounds with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. Absolutely off the charts. Huge hands. He started as a Division III player at Eastern Washington State, and now it's either Duke or the NBA. Right now, it looks like the NBA may be the favorite."
Coward is ranked as the No. 2 shooting guard the transfer portal. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks at Washington State last season and is poised to start at Duke next season should he return to college basketball.
"It felt like Coward didn't miss a shot during today's drills," national basketball analyst Isaac Trotter added. "He has the measurables, the ability to shoot it, and the defensive upside. He's also going to interview extremely well. He's a well-spoken kid who's had a really interesting path here. I'm not saying anything new by saying he might be playing his way into the first round. However, Duke has a lot on the line. Isaiah Evans is going to go back to Duke for his sophomore season. Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans, Cam, Boozer, Maliq Brown and Patrick Ngbonga are there, but we start to talk about Duke as a top-five team in the country if they can get Cedric Coward back. But, that's going to be a bigger challenge than initially expected.
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The NBA's early entry withdrawal deadline is June 15, but if Coward wishes to retain his NCAA eligibility, a decision must be made by May 28. Coward is one of two commitments for Duke in the transfer portal this offseason, along with unrated center Ifeanyi Ufochukwu from Rice.