Pacers land Cedric Coward in NBA mock draft

Yahoo

a day ago

Pacers land Cedric Coward in NBA mock draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Pacers are three wins away from an NBA Championship. A team headlined by Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam has been successful thanks to the depth of the team, not their superstars.
Advertisement
Depth can be costly, though. The Pacers are paying $169 million in salary this season, and are already committed to $167.9 million for next year, and that's before a potential extension of Myles Turner. The Pacers have done a great job at drafting NBA-ready players to keep bench costs relatively low, and one prospect stands out as a draft riser who could continue to contribute.
Tankathon's NBA Mock Draft has the Pacers landing Washington State wing Cedric Coward with the No. 23 overall pick. Coward started the draft process ranked outside of the first round, but has been a quick draft riser over the past few months.
Coward began his collegiate career at Division III Willamette University, averaging 19.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Coward then transferred to Eastern Washington. In his first season with the Eagles, Coward came off the bench and played a key role, averaging 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. In his second season with Eastern Washington, he earned All-Big Sky honors, averaging 15.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Coward then transferred to Washington State, where he played just six games this past season due to a torn labrum, which required surgery. Coward looked stellar in his short sample with the Cougars, averaging 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Advertisement
One of the most coveted archetypes in the modern NBA is the "3-and-D" player. Coward fits that mold to a T.
Coward has a beautifully smooth shooting stroke, and he has touch from all over the floor. He shows comfort shooting off the catch, on the move, and as a pull-up shooter. In his three seasons of Division I basketball, Coward knocked down 38.8 percent of his three-point attempts and 83.2 percent of his free throws.
Physically, Coward's size is an NBA dream. Listed at 6-foot-6, Coward has a 7-foot-2 wingspan and an 8-foot-10 standing reach. Cedric had among the top ten largest hands at the NBA combine.
Coward possesses the arms of a much larger man, and it makes him very effective as a defender. Coward is a defensive playmaker, with a career steal percentage of 1.9 percent and a block rate of 3.7 percent in Division I. In his six-game season with Washington State, Coward averaged 1.7 blocks per game, with a block rate of 5.3 percent.
Advertisement
He's not a lead guard by any means. He has some ability with the ball in his hands, but he doesn't have elite burst and struggles to create separation against high-level defenses or aggressive help schemes.
As a connector, though, Coward thrives. Playing within the flow of the offense is the name of the game for Coward. He runs well in transition, and that's truly where his playmaking ability shines. He has impeccable vision and timing as a playmaker on the fast break, which would work wonders for Rick Carlisle's Pacers team.
Coward is a dream roleplayer. He brings an unselfish, team-first mindset paired with ancillary skills, great instincts, and insane genetics. Coward can step right in and make an impact, especially on a team like the Pacers that has had so much success with plug-and-play contributors.
For the Pacers specifically, he brings more size and length on the wing than Aaron Nesmith, Ben Sheppard, and Andrew Nembhard do. His shot will have no problem translating to the NBA, and he can shoot well with volume. Haliburton and Siakam should generate plenty of open looks for Coward.
Advertisement
There's also a world, given his wingspan, that allows him to play bigger than he is, that Carlisle could deploy Coward as a four or perhaps even a small-ball five in a super-spread offense.
Related: Myles Turner Reveals How Indiana Pacers Failed to Play Their Own Game Against OKC Thunder
Related: Indiana Pacers Get Massive NBA Free Agency Update
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.