NBA Draft Combine week has officially begun after the Dallas Mavericks won the Draft Lottery and answered questions about the future of former Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg, but the current roster still has major questions entering the workout session.
The Blue Devils took a sigh of relief when it was announced that freshman wing Isaiah Evans withdrew his name from the NBA Draft Combine and would not participate in the drills and scrimmages for organizations, ensuring his return to the program for his sophomore season.
That has not been the case for Duke transfer commit Cedric Coward, who arrived at the lottery in an impressive suit and sat one row behind the Blue Devil contingent of Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach while the order was being announced.
Coward, a Washington State transfer, was limited to just six games this season due to a shoulder injury but has been impressive during his pre-draft workouts. His official measurements also impressed NBA teams, standing at 6-foot-5 without sneakers as well as a 7-foot-2 wingspan and 8-foot-10 standing reach.
Recent mock drafts have him projected as a late first round pick while some NBA analysts have pegged him as one of the fastest risers at the combine, casting a very dark cloud over the chances he plays at Duke next season.
He has not signed his National Letter of Intent with the Blue Devils and the program has not landed any other high-impact scholarship players in the transfer portal this offseason.
Cedric Coward figures to slide into the starting shooting guard position for Duke, should he opt to return to college, but a lot of questions would have to be answered by Jon Scheyer if there is a major hole on the roster entering the latter part of May.
The Blue Devils have been in contact and hosted a pair of high school recruits on visits within the last two weeks but nothing more has developed with their recruitment.