Expert Suggests Duke Basketball May Have Misjudged Cedric Coward’s NBA Potential
The Duke basketball staff could have potentially set itself back in the transfer portal by targeting Cedric Coward. Given Coward’s rising stock among NBA Draft experts, it’s now worth questioning whether pursuing the Washington State transfer forward was the right move for the Blue Devils.
Coward, a 6-foot-6 dynamic wing who ranks No. 13 overall in the 247Sports Transfer Rankings, committed to Duke in late April. He remains the only transfer with the immediate ability to contribute for Duke in the 2023-24 season, provided he pulls out of the NBA Draft by the May 28 deadline.
Moreover, there are very few transfers left at Coward’s level, making his potential departure a significant loss for Duke.
Zach Lowe on Cedric Coward
(Via @ZachLowe_NBA’s podcast The Zach Lowe Show) pic.twitter.com/IjrQs9mmLm
— Duke Update (@UpdateDuke) May 9, 2025
This week, NBA insider Zach Lowe shared on The Zach Lowe Show that whispers from NBA front offices suggest Coward is almost certain to be a first-round pick if he decides to remain in the 2025 NBA Draft, which would effectively cancel his commitment to Duke.
“They’re all gonna be mad that I say the name because they all think they’re the only ones on it,” Lowe commented about the recent buzz surrounding Coward, “and they’re not…Cedric Coward, if all of these scouts are on him like this…I think he’s gonna be picked higher than [No. 29] just based on my conversations.”
Last season, Coward, a senior, averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 blocks in just six games at Washington State due to injury. This followed two seasons of strong development at Eastern Washington.
Although Duke’s 2025-26 roster will include high-potential players like incoming five-star freshman forward Cameron Boozer, the team currently lacks a player who averaged more than seven points per game last season, raising concerns among national analysts.
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