Cedric Coward and his play style could remind Duke fans of a future NBA Hall of Fame swingman.
Cedric Coward Makes the Move East, Draws Comparison to Perennial All Star
This week, the former Washington State University swingman committed to Duke for the 2025-26 season. In playing just six games in 2024 in Pullman, the Fresno native, scored 17.7 points a game, pulled done seven rebounds while shooting 40% from behind the arc.
In November, tests revealed a tear in his shoulder. The injury occurred in practice while competing for a rebound.
For a while, the 6’6″ guard/forward entertained the thought of entering the NBA Draft and casting his lot into a process that frowns upon an injured player. After watching a few of his clips, one X account (@LathonWarren) draws an interesting comparison.
Kawi 2.0
— Warren (@LathonWarren) May 2, 2025
Now, you may want to pump the brakes on a Kawhi Leonard comparison coming off a shoulder surgery and just six games and 198 minutes of major college basketball play. With that said, two source, Adam Finklestein and Quenton Albertie, of 24/7 Sports and Last Word on College Sports. First, Finkelstein presents his overview.
“A two-time transfer who began at D3 Willamette before blossoming into an All-Conference player in two years at Eastern Washington, Coward has both a versatile attack and all the measurables as a 6’6″ wing with a reported 7-feet wingspan,” Finkelstein said. “He’s a consistent shooting threat from behind the arc who made 38+% in both years at EWU.
“He’s physical, can punish mismatches in the post, shows efficient flashes of being able to put the ball on the floor, and is also an intelligent passer. Coward may be longer than he is explosive, but he’s a master of verticality defensively who has a high block rate despite some occasional lateral struggles.”
Now, that does present traits of a 3-and-D player, able to defend while using the three-pointer as their primary weapon in their arsenal. However, what will Coward’s shot look like after surgery and the rehabilitation process?
Albertie takes a deeper dive, highlighting what the newest Blue Devil brings to the court.
“The fact that he’s shooting 59.5 percent from the field for his career only highlights how masterful of a scorer he truly is,” Albertie said. “That being said, because of his scoring ability, Coward gets a lot of attention from the defense. He’s adept at using that gravity to make plays for his teammates.”
At the other end, Coward relies on his length, hands, and timing. Though he’s capable of playing in the passing lanes and taking advantage of lackadaisical ball-handlers, he’s one of the rare perimeter players who’s better at swatting shots than coming away with steals.
However, because he can be prone to getting beat off the dribble, his shot-blocking ability is even more important than it otherwise would be.”
The second assessment paints a better picture. Coward’s explosiveness will play at both ends of the court. First, he flashes a knack for shot creation and separation from defenders, meanwhile on defense, that vertical leaping ability will act as a quasi-rim protector.
Meaning, Coward can erase jump shots and layup attempts. As a result, he can gamble with overpursuit.
KEEP READING: Can Duke Men’s Transfer Portal Additions Lead Them to the 2025-26 National Championship?
Duke needs a veteran scorer. Granted, they will have the Boozer twins and Nikolas Khamenia walking into the gym to provide scoring and minutes. At the same time, having a veteran around that knows the college game can expedite the maturation process for the incoming freshmen. Duke made a deep run led by freshman.
However, counted on that to serve as standard operating procedure isn’t a sound strategy that is schematically sound over the long run.
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