According to HoopeHype’s database, Washington State forward Cedric Coward, who has been compared to Kawhi Leonard, recently did a pre-draft workout with the Boston Celtics. Coward has been skyrocketing up draft boards in recent weeks, so he may be off the board by the time Boston picks at No. 28, but at the very least, the Celtics got a look at him in the gym.
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports likened Coward to Leonard in his mock draft, in which he has the Cougars forward going ninth to the Toronto Raptors. “Coward has gone from a Division III player to a potential first-round pick in just a few years behind his rapid development into a prospect with a valued 3-and-D skill-set.
“At the draft combine, he was one of the biggest risers measuring in at 6-foot-5 barefoot with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, while shooting the hell out of the ball. And Coward brings even higher upside thanks to his passing vision.”
What does Cedric Coward bring to the table?
Coward is looked at as one of the most complete wings/forwards in this year’s draft class, despite the fact that he only played six games at Washington State this past season.
He began his college career playing DIII ball before transferring to Eastern Washington for two years and wrapping up with six games with the Cougars this past season. Coward committed to play for Duke next season but now, he will remain in the draft instead.
Elite three-point shooting, impressive passing, and incredible measurements saw him emerge as the highlight of this year’s draft combine, and he’s a great defender, too.
Though he will turn 22 years old in September, Coward is ready to help teams win right now, so his age shouldn’t be a huge concern for teams looking to add that type of player in the draft.
Could the Celtics still draft Coward?
At this point, it seems highly unlikely that the Celtics will be in the range to take Coward in the draft. They would have to trade up into the lottery, and at that point, they probably wouldn’t want to give up the necessary assets to do so.
That said, Boston was still able to bring him in for a workout ahead of the draft, which means they had some semblance of interest in him before he began shooting up boards.
And who knows, maybe there’s a world where Coward still manages to slip down the board enough to where the Celtics feel comfortable trading up. But at this point, it looks like their workout will be the last time Coward wears Celtics green (for now).