Cedric Coward Houston Rockets NBA Draft Profile | This Year’s HIDDEN GEM With Possible STAR UPSIDE?
on today’s show we continue our Houston Rockets NBA draft profile series taking a look at the late blooming wing with potential star upside out of Washington State Cedric Coward we’ll take a look at his strengths his weaknesses NBA player comps projected draft range potential fit in Houston and more it’s all coming up right here at Locked on Rockets this is mission control Houston ignition sequence start 6 5 4 3 2 1 what’s up and welcome to another edition of Locked On Rockets your daily podcast home for everything Houston Rockets basketball as always I’m your host Jackson Gatlin native Houstononian a credentialed media member i’m also the host of Locked On Thursdays be sure to follow along wherever you listen to your podcast or on YouTube just search Locked on Rockets where the best way you can help us grow our show is to listen every single day on a podcast platform of your choosing and then like comment subscribe on YouTube now today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time download the Game Time app create an account use code locked on NBA for $20 off of your first purchase and as always thanks so much for making Locked on Rock it’s part of your day every single day whether it’s on your way to work on your lunch break in the gym thank you so much for being an everydayer and joining us now is your weekly co-host NBA draft enthusiast and diehard Houston Rockets fan Madison Moore who you can track down on Twitter Madman Leaks here’s we continue our Houston Rockets NBA draft profile series taking a look at yet another wing prospect maybe one with a really sky-high potential here in Cedric Coward um one of the older players in the draft senior coming out of Washington State madison what’s your read hit us with the elevator pitch on Cedric Coward yeah man uh Cedric Coward is really a interesting prospect this is a 6’6 wing with a tremendous wingspan 7 foot2 wingspan excellent shooter but a very interesting path uh to the NBA he started off as a D3 player um and transferred up to Washington State where he played an amazing six games before his season is cut short by injury and then we get our annual hype train on a player that we don’t have enough film on and but he’s really intriguing because of his measurables this is a swing man who can really shoot the ball he uh has defensive potential excellent shooter and just extremely fluid with those measurables and so that has led scouts imagination to run wild and I think a lot of that has to do with the lack of topend talent in this draft he’s an older player but his path and the way he’s gotten better over time has really intrigued Scouts and due to some what I’ve heard uh is some incredible workouts right um that he’s really been shooting up boards and been this intriguing prospect with this this kind of quiet upside the type that you hear about with Jaylen Williams without the film of Jaylen Williams so So um he’s been an interesting prospect in that that sense that that’s a name that’s a comp and a name that I’ve been seeing thrown around a little bit and I I know we’re gonna get to our comps a little bit later on so um maybe not like a stylistic comp but maybe just like this year’s like version yeah late bloomer okay there we go that’s probably Look he’ll be he’ll almost be 22 years old on draft night so he he’s an old boy there but all right um let’s start with So we’re going to get into later on we’ll get into his you know NBA player comps projected range how he could possibly fit with this Rockets team uh let’s start with his strengths what do you look at as his number i I know and this is going to be hard right it’s Coward’s gonna be one of the hardest prospects to try and evaluate fairly or in good faith right because of that small sample size that we’re working with but what do you look at as like his most billable skill the best thing that he has on paper to me it has to be the shooting i mean that’s the the day one skill i mean he’s an excellent shooter he’s an excellent shooter at D3 i know the compet competition was weak but he was also it translated straight up to Washington State in the six games 40% shooter on good volume um but it’s really just the combination combination of that fluid shooting ability uh with the wingspan and the physicals the the measurables for this guy i mean he projects to be a a very good impact defender um I think he hasn’t really shown that level of defense uh at the in the college game but you definitely can see that it’s it’s within his realm of scope and when you kind of focus his role in it’s there’s a uh what do you say a high floor for a guy like this with those measurables and that smooth uh shooting stroke how differently is it for you when you’re trying to like evaluate and piece together when a guy when you’ve got such a small sample size to look at because obviously like small sample size theater right we’ve we’ve been fooled by it you watch a player go off for six games 10 games you know you know it’s and it it doesn’t just happen with prospects right we fool ourselves into it with players at the NBA level you watch a guy go off for a 10ame stretch you’re like “Oh my god he’s he’s the next whoever.” And then suddenly he comes back down to earth and you’re like “Ah damn.” Okay so like what what is what are some of the reasons to believe that it’s not just a small sample size that he is who scouts think he is oh man I you know that’s really tough i mean like these are the hardest prospects for me to evaluate because there’s not enough film I think for me to like get an educated guess and it really just falls on the intel and the workouts and the behind the scenes the interviews right that really sell who this player is going to be and then you you know you listen to his story you you watch his work ethic like those workouts really are I’ve heard are shooting him up boards right it’s it’s cuz they get to see stuff that we don’t really get to see that help them believe that that six game sample size is real and for me I these prospects are like I kind of shy away from like I I I don’t have enough film to properly evaluate and see if this stuff is real but I mean the mechanics of that jump shot is real i mean I I I don’t worry about him shooting at a high level i uh I do worry about his production and some of the some of the shot creation stuff that he he flashed looked really good and was very intriguing and I like to see that over the course of 20 to 30 games in college basketball i mean we can talk about some of his strengths like he has this mid post turnaround that all the great elite guards um shoot you know what I mean and the way he gets in and out of his mid-range into a silky smooth jump shot the way he can keep a a defender on his uh hip and you know pump fake and turn and shoot over him with his with his his wingspan that that stuff is rem you know reminiscent of some of the greats right and so that stuff really gets your mind thinking but without having a competent enough sample size to see him do that over and over again and shoot that consistently at a high clip even with his three-point shooting it just it leaves a lot to be desired it leaves uh his evaluation up the up in the air for me and I I think there’s a whole lot of risk for a prospect like this and I think he’s shooting up the boards not just because he’s intriguing in that way but really because the lack of the high-end talent in this draft do you think he’s the riskiest prospect in this draft i wouldn’t say he’s the riskiest because I think his floor is pretty high like he’s pretty easily projectable as a as a NBA swingman because he already has the size and the shooting right i I think at the very least he’ll do that but for him to be drafted in the top 10 I mean think about it we we just did a valuation on Carter Bryant and he’s such a raw prospect offensively but you know people believe in his upside too but he’s so much younger right and this guy is way more polished than him but just doesn’t have the sample size i feel like we’re doing the same thing with both of these prospects in different ways you know what I mean and so it’s it’s it’s really tough for me to say uh but I I do like his intriguing tools and if you’re looking for a swing man you’re looking to find you know which one of these wings do you want to bet on and I’m and I’m sure the other guys have not wowed you enough I think Cedric’s tape in his six games looks the best in that small sample size than probably any stretch of the other guys coming up we’ll talk a little bit about Cedric Coward’s defense as well as some potential drawbacks with him as a prospect we’re going to get there in just one moment first today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time look there’s nothing like the NBA playoffs this NBA Finals has been awesome through three games the intensity the buzzer beaters the fans losing their minds it’s the kind of atmosphere you need to experience live and Game 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today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed and continuing on here at Locked On Rockets your daily podcast home for everything Houston Rockets basketball all right Madison I want to shift gears here and just focus on the defensive side of the ball for a second one of the unique things right about a prospect like Coward with the physicals that he has right the the ridiculous wingspan the the the kind of you know defensive versatility that he brings to the table that’s the kind of stuff that I think projects to just like he should be able to find a home at the NBA level because like the measurables jump off the page and at least that like that’s something where yeah small sample sizes like maybe that’s more of the things that you look at like offensively but at least defensively like that’s something you that should inspire a great deal of confidence about him right yeah i mean and I think um I think for the most part you know he had a lead a lead guard role on that team uh he he wasn’t asked to be a defensive stopper he wasn’t coming in to perform this role of defensive stopper so to me he was just a a relatively good defender i thought his lymph did pop and was disruptive in lane in the lanes and it really but it kind of leads you to believe is hey if we simplify this guy’s role and we told him we want you to get after it defensively does he have the ability to do that and I think he’s shown enough laterally uh on the perimeter even though he has some some lapses here and there I think if if he locks in on that is my role in a particular team he could really excel and he has the potential with those tools to be a lock down uh defender in in a that we see a lot of when I get to his comps I’ll you know explain some of those comps and how they how they kind of translate and then you you marry that with a with a chance to shoot over 40% from three on very good val volume i feel like we’re saying the same thing over and over again but it’s it’s it’s very intriguing like these are impact these are this is starter level on a finals team uh type of tools uh for Cedric Coward and you don’t want to pass up on that in the lottery if you can you know what I mean okay out and then outside of How about this outside of the small sample size what worries you the most about Coward as a prospect uh outside of the small sample size what worries me most um I would say the slashing if I’m if I’m looking at this guy to uh to to develop him as a star right um I would have liked to see more on film as a slasher creativity wiggling through uh tight spaces with his handle uh he he showed more as a creator out of the pick and roll I feel like uh in D3 but it there just was uh a lot less on tape with that but but was he showing more because it was D3 is the thing like that’s the question and that’s the question but also it’s just not very dynamic getting to the rim i think he’s a I think he’s a good athlete not a great athlete you know he’s not going to be living above the rim making super athletic plays he’s not going to do that he’s he’s a good enough athlete to play NBA basketball but to me the creativity and his drive game if I would have saw more of that I would have been more excited about him and his potential to be a star i really his his shot creation to me was more in the mid-range and his face up game as well as just being a good swing man and being able to operate uh off off the catch uh uh on the perimeter um but to me um it was really the shooting that was most intriguing but I feel like he left a lot to be desired uh slashing in the half court and making plays for others so you know and and I think this is where I I find him a really fascinating prospect because obviously there’s like this tremendous potential upside there but do you think that at this point like is it easier to evaluate him or is it is it is it maybe different to evaluate him as like okay maybe you can look at him through one lens as like a potential like dynamic like you know guard you know lead lead scorer kind of guy or do you look at him through the different lens like you talked about a second ago about like okay well if you if you give him more of like a clearly defined role like hey we want you to be very good at these couple specific things like defensively whatever like is it maybe easier to evaluate him as just a 3 and D prospect 3 and D wing as opposed to kind of this like upside talent that might have some like hidden star potential there yeah I mean that’s how I see him i see him as a 3 and D wing i think that is the safe pro like that is the safe lane for him i would develop him as a 3 and D wing first see if he can get on the court see if he can start and see if he can excel in that role and then begin to kind of titrate him up from there give him a little bit more responsibility if he can if he can succeed as a three and D role get get after it defensively and you know you start to see 16 17 point games averaging that and then put the ball in his hands see if he can do more with it i would kind of take the slow burn approach to him and then you can start giving some some mid post ice holes you can see see how he succeeds in that and see how uh you know how his slashing looks from that because to to me I think in order to be a star in this league in order I would need to see you be able to get to the rim and finish at a high clip consistently and at least put pressure on the rim where you can make plays for others and that’s just not something I thought Cedric showed on his tape albeit uh low sample size how you again low sample size over and over and over preface everything with low s you know small samples But how did his handle look what how would you evaluate just his ball handling right because like to be again to to be a star in today’s NBA right you need to be able to handle the basketball and so that is you know we we see it a little look we we’re seeing it right now with Jabari Smith Jr right we thought there was maybe something more there and that like maybe there was some some some like hidden star potential but Jabari just has not in in three years of NBA basketball like the handle has not gotten much better and that is a problem right like you’re not going to be able to be a star you could be lethal from the mid-range you could be this you know 7 foot tall unicorn whatever knockdown shooter but if you can’t handle the ball worth a lick you can’t really be a star player so how would you evaluate just kind of that handle in the limited you know film that you have on him yeah no I think I think he can handle the ball i don’t think he’s going he’s any means of some dynamic ball handler i think he he has shown enough that if he isn’t you know quite there to handle it at the high level to initiate offense right now which I I don’t think he can he’s shown enough that I think it’ll be he can easily develop that into his game like if he needs to ball you know initiate offense he can there’s just there’s just I don’t think he initiates at a high enough level to do that on the NBA floor at the moment but it’s within the realm of outcomes for him i don’t think it’s I think his handle’s good enough as a a creator right now where he’ll be able to run some pick and roll eventually right he’ll be able to do some initiation i don’t think it’s to me Jabari I were was never bought in on the handle with Jabari i was one of those guys who didn’t really you know I thought he was four you know uh but but this but with Cedric I think it’s better than that i think he’ll be able to do but I I really see him operating in in in certain certain aspects or certain spaces in the game i don’t see him more of his initiator but somebody you draw up something and run him across a couple screens and then get him into actions like that kind of similar the way MA uses Jaylen when he wants to get him open right and you let him go to work like that like in a similar way that Kawhai is used right kawhai doesn’t bring the ball up the court right but you you give it to him on the block or in certain areas and you let him go to work and you can trust him to to get up and take a good shot and so that’s that’s how I see his game okay that and you know that that provides a I guess a little bit more conf one of the knocks that I kind of saw in him like looking at some of what some of the other you know uh draft heads are saying about him is his the kind of struggling to I guess create some separation off the dribble a little bit at times and you know that that kind of shot creation element is certainly you know a part plays a part in in potentially being that that star outcome type player as opposed to just you know guys who can’t create for themselves those are your prototypical 3 and D like role player guys so yeah I I think his shot creation is really limited to uh to to that mid post that that’s really where I’ve seen the most consistent shot creation reps out of him everything else is like off the bounce you know what I mean uh but him actually giving you a move and getting to the basket i mean I think that goes into what I was talking about in his slashing ability he doesn’t really create angles or see angles in that way and he doesn’t use you know complex step back moves and everything i think his game is is simpler than that i think the most complex move set he has is within the mid post and still with that is you know to be to be continued because of the sample size coming up we’ll get into Cedric C’s NBA comps projected draft range and fit with the Rockets we’re going to get there in just one moment first today’s episode is brought to you by Wayfair look there’s nothing like stepping into your own outdoor space and feeling like you’ve escaped to a personal oasis if you’re wanting to update your patio this season Wayfair has made it so easy to turn it into a space that feels like yours comfortable stylish and ready for summertime 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we can get a little bit of a glimpse maybe you know and then small sample size I’m just at this point it’s just a running joke I can’t wait to use this on like another prospect I just feel like you know what I need I need me I need to clip myself or you saying small sample size and put it on the soundboard so I can just hit us with like you know one of the one of the Where’s my Eric Gordon oh my i I’ll I’ll hit us with one of those like every time we bring up Cedric Coward moving forward um All right so we do a the For anybody who’s not familiar with how we do this we do three sets of comps low-end median outcome and then a high-end list of comps hit us with your low-end comps Madison yeah for low-inccomes these are lower-end 3 and D wings who really just don’t do anything at a high enough level to really you know start in this league so one of them I think is Justin Champagany another rangey a big wing plays for the Spurs right um but serviceable wing like like wings that can shoot find their way on the court and you know find their way down down a bench right and so I think that’s probably the floor he’s going to at least be that type of player justin Champagne uh Kelly Ubé those type of guys who provide you some some instant offense off the bench some really good shooting uh you know out of the corners and can be very aggressive defensively but maybe just not as consistent as you would like so you know what I mean um and lastly for the the lower ends is Moody i like uh uh Moody from the Golden State Warriors a lot because I think they have similar measurables they both come out with very long wingspans um but as you see Moody is just not consistent enough to start and be trusted um on a consistent enough basis and so he’s just until you can be consistent enough as a defender and shooter then you know what I mean you think that’s a little bit Steve Ker it’s No it’s you know it’s it’s funny because I remember being a little bit higher on like Moody’s like offense coming out and then he turned himself like he kind of made like he’s made his bread and butter a little bit more now on the defensive side of the ball at least like that’s that’s where Steve Kerr trusts him more right at least in Golden State system not to say there’s maybe you know maybe there’s something more there but like you know he’s found his niche right as a defensive kind of not not I won’t say defensive specialist right because nobody thinks of Moses Moody as like this defensive ace but he’s a solid like a solid to plus level defender does his job well enough to be a starting caliber player at times um so yeah okay all right i like it for a low end yeah I think it’s I think it’s exploring you know like Moody doesn’t have any complex moves but if he if he gets you on your hip he’ll get you in you know uh he’ll can make it to the basket and score on you so I I like that as a a good confirm and and Moody also has a seven foot wingspan which is similar similar to Coward with a 7 foot2 but but moving on to the median uh end outcomes I have um Devin Vel another spur I think is uh you know that’s if the ball handling comes and he starts to get he starts to get more involved as a wing ball handling wing who can shoot um and I also have Aaron Nesmith which uh I think has kind of emerged this year as a you know a very good shooter very aggressive uh defender um a guy who you can put on the floor and just makes the right play makes smart decisions i think Coward really projects that way te uh teams like how smart he is like that he doesn’t make many mistakes and I think that is the type of player that he could you know easily become and that’s when you’re doing things at a high enough level where you’re a starter on on your team like you’re you’re a starter level um guard on the team that that makes impact players and you can you can trust you know to play 36 minutes a night right um and then moving on to the high end one of the ones I really like for him is Muel Bridges i think Muel Bridges uh really they are they are similarly sized they’re six both six foot six with long wingspans um and are able and you know Mikuel is really typ cast as a defender right but still has a bit of a offensive package if you give the ball he can do some things in in the mid post he can you can run him off screens and let him shoot right I think those are all the things that um Kherd should be able to do if he starts to hit some of his high-end outcomes if he becomes a a a really good defender a really impact defender and really his his offensive game can be led by his silky smooth shot which which you know uh Bridges has really lived uh on so I think that’s a really good high-end outcome and another player that he used to play with Cam Johnson right these guys who just are super impactful right they’re they’re not afraid of the moment they’re smart players they know how to uh you know step up in game time decisions they’re great shooters and also compro uh be versatile defenders and so those are one of like some of the lower high-end outcomes I found for Kyle Herd and so if he starts to hit some of those higher end I think the the ones that people are really looking for where he get you know starts to scratch the surface with superstar I really like a guy like Michael Finley uh that’s that’s a little blast for the past yeah mike Mike Finn mike Finn man michael Finley was all you know a multi-time all-star for the Dallas Mavericks uh you know a big guard big spur yeah yeah also a Spur jesus how’ that happen but anyway but uh watched a lot of those games but anyway uh uh a a guard who can create for himself can operate out of the mid post was a was a a very good shooter especially in certain situations and you know in certain games he could really get hot and just was a allaround creator and good offensive player so I really like I really like their body types i really like their similarities he’s not as athletic as as young Mike Finn but you know older vet Mike Finn with all the tricks of the trade that that is the type of player I think Kyle Herd can become if he’s going to be a superstar okay you know I and for me I also really do like how you know the NBA is an ever evolving constantly changing game and and you know I feel like we’ve we over the last like 5 10 years right we we talked so much about like oh are we you know is the is the NBA experiencing like the death of the big man and we’re moving away from it and suddenly like now it’s almost like there’s like been a big man kind of renaissance as of late and one of the other things that’s been kind of coming back more in the last like couple years or so is I’ve been loving how much more you’re seeing guards actually play out of that mid post area of the court right you see it shoot SGA does it quite a bit right like SGA can you know iso you face up you know from the three-point line and work downhill but he also doesn’t he’s not afraid to get you on his back get you in that mid post area and command a double team that way and there are a lot of guards in today’s NBA that kind of have that in their repertoire and it gives you just another dimension to your offense right because there’s there’s one thing when you’re constantly trying to attack and it’s it’s you the defender and then the rim right and you’re always having to go through the def like or at least working your way in from the from the three-point line down right and you know you’ve got so much space so much ground to cover but if you can put a defender on your back use your size use your length use your wingspan to play over the top like those are all different dimensions different ways that you can you know unlock some offensive potential so I’m very I’m I’m intrigued by Coward and maybe I’m falling in love with this whole idea of like a player that doesn’t actually exist um and maybe he maybe he is just a three and guy but you you also caught my eye with that Nesmith comp because if he could if you could get if you could guarantee you got Aaron Nesmith with the 10th overall pick in the draft you’re doing that 100% of the time like Nmith has turned into such a valuable piece for that Pacers team um just like you said really solid across the board doesn’t make mistakes can obviously catch fire and win you a game like he’s done in the postseason multiple times um and I mean we also know here’s the thing right we know this Rockets team desperately desperately needs shooting like that’s the biggest thing when I think about any of these prospects and how they’re going to fit into this Rocket system i’m thinking two things i’m thinking can you play defense because you’re not going to get on the floor if you don’t play defense with Emmy Odoka and then can you shoot the ball because that’s the one thing this team is missing so desperately across the board and it sounds like Howard can do both of those things yeah yeah exactly and I And I think it’s just there’s such a low bar for him to hit i feel like like for him to be a impact player on a playoff team there’s such a low bar that high floor really makes you feel comfortable with selecting this guy in the in the upper lottery because he has this high floor and then if you scratch gold you know what I mean you you get a you can get one of these higherend uh you know allstar level role players or maybe even a borderline superstar out of cow herd and and that type of safety with upside has is just going to drive GMs crazy you know what I mean especially in a draft like this and and like I said like N Smith I it’s not a hard I I feel like with his tools that’s not a hard uh you know bar to reach for him and so I think that’s where a lot of his intrigue I think if come away at the 10th pick and you get an E Smith you’ll be happy you know so looking at and here’s the part that this one’s going to be really hard right is thinking about his projected range like what’s the highest you could see him going at this point cuz we’re talking about him maybe being T maybe the Rockets taking him at 10 could you see a team ahead of the Rockets really like falling in love with him and taking a swing on him i can’t remember the order directly in front of us but I think I think he’s in play i think he’s in play from eight like from seven or eight he should be in play because it’s So I mean it’s it’s Utah at five and then Washington then New Orleans then Brooklyn then Toronto and then Rockets at 10 yeah I think Toronto for sure toronto loves these types of wings you know what I mean they love That’s the That’s the Messiah Jiri special right there yeah for sure toronto loves those type of wings but the the other three I think are going to be taking more of a swing right because they’re not really interested in three and D players they’re they’re looking for home run hits you know what I mean somebody’s taking Trey Somebody’s Trey taking Trey Johnson in there yeah somebody’s going to take Trey Johnson you know uh and there there’s a lot of guys that are more have probably more upside but lower floors and I think those guys you know if if Aaron Nesmith goes to the Utah Jazz that doesn’t really help anybody you know what I mean it doesn’t help a coward’s career it doesn’t help the Utah Jazz they need to be in the same for the Washington Wizards they need to be taking bigger swings right um but if they just believe in him that much but I think those you know those types of uh teams may opt for a younger player where with more upside that they can mold like Carter Bryant right so he’s a younger guy you can mold him he’s not as skilled yet as Coward but you can mold him into into what you want and you have time to to give him the ball and let him develop right um while uh Cowhurd might be uh more of a backend lottery a safer pick the OKC’s the San Antonios the Houston will be the teams looking to to select him because there’s a little bit of upside but I got to roll for you just in case you don’t you know what I mean hit that higher end what do you think’s the lowest that he possibly goes because that’s the crazy thing is like I’ve seen mocks that have him like that I’ve seen mocks that still have him like near like the latter end of the first round and then there’s like but then there’s like talk of like the GMs and front offices who are like falling in love with him and he’s like you know on other people’s mocks he’s like jumping up the the the board so like he might have the biggest range of any player in the you know that we’re going to talk about yeah i I think uh I think I think as of now he doesn’t get past the mid20s i think he can go in the mid20s and long as there’s no injury or you know something unforeseen that we don’t know something on the medicals yeah on the medicals right like you know with Cam uh I think he’s I think he’s pretty safe in the teens to to 20 range like he’s I think that’s the sweet spot for him but if a team just falls in love I wouldn’t be surprised if a team you know in the the back end of the lottery um you know takes that chance on him so you so you don’t think so what la last thing I got you don’t think it’s you wouldn’t be upset if the Rockets took him at 10 right like it’s not a reach to take him at 10 no no no no i don’t First of all you can never have enough wings we all know that and then it’s it it’s it’s a type of wing that his specialty is shooting and he has the length in Maudoka’s system to really pop you know what I mean and I really trust Mauudoka’s ability to uh develop wings and so giving Mudoka another wing dynamic wing who has some upside as a as a a shot creator which the Rockets desperately need more shot creation you won’t be getting any of that uh early but you won’t be getting it any of that for any player you drafted at 10 you know what I mean so this is a guy that that could possibly fight for hey man put some respect on on Jerger Demon’s name all right we’re going to talk about him at some point i know you like that guy so that talking about no shot creation at 10 okay a man yeah and that stands but but yeah but but I I think he fits well i think he fits well with the Rockets and gives us more wing depth and insurance because as we know you know contracts are coming up you know we we’re going to need some insurance for some of these guys we’re gonna you know we’re going to need other wings on this team okay all right well it’s a guy he might even be able to play some small ball for you know what I mean and so it’s it’s a lot of stuff you can do with him with that limp okay all right well Cedric Coward you heard it here first from our our our go-to draft expert the the NBA draft enthusiast here uh we want your thoughts on Cedric Coward uh give us your thoughts on the small sample size in the uh that’s going to be the the new buzzword uh in the YouTube comments we have six games you want to go back and look at it for Cedric Coward uh with Washington State give us your thoughts on him as a prospect are you scared by the small sample size are you bought in are you all on the uh the coward hype train give us your thoughts uh Madison you know the drill let me know where to track you down at you can find me on Twitter atmadan leaks come talk Rockets basketball and NBA draft that’s going to do it for another edition of Locked on Rockets as always thanks so much for checking out the show remember the best way to help us grow the show is to listen every single day on a podcast platform of your choosing and then like comment subscribe on YouTube but as always thank you so much for watching thank you so much for listening and we look forward to having you back right here at Locked on Rockets your daily podcast home for everything Houston Rockets basketball
Cedric Coward Houston Rockets NBA Draft Profile | This Year’s HIDDEN GEM With Possible STAR UPSIDE?
Is Cedric Coward the NBA Draft’s hidden gem? Possibly the Houston Rockets’ Next 3-and-D wing?
Host Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) is joined by weekly cohost and NBA Draft enthusiast Madison Moore (@MadManLeaks) to break down and discuss Houston Rockets 2025 NBA Draft Prospect Cedric Coward from Washington State University, highlighting strengths (shooting, wingspan) and weaknesses (ball handling, sample size), possible NBA comps, how his skills will translate to the NBA level, fit with the Houston Rockets and more.
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6 Comments
We need a real elite starting 5 player, not another overrated rookie..!
The entire NBA knows about Jalen, Reed, Cam, Tari and Jabari now, would any NBA team still be foolish enough to draft any of them in the top 10 of first round if they were in this year's draft.!? The answer is simply NO..!
pass on coward at 10. senior prospects taken in the lottery dont have a good history of panning out in the league. plus he struggled in the 1 game he played at WSU against legit competition (iowa).
Trade the pick. We do not need anymore young players. He'll do nothing but ride the bench.
My top 3: Maluach (difficult at 10, Jaku and Queen.
I have a good feeling about Coward. Kasparas and Carter Bryant are also intriguing at 10.
Go Rockets!