Duke basketball transfer Cedric Coward makes controversial decision at NBA Combine

There might not be more buzz around any non-lottery prospect at the NBA Draft Combine this week than Duke basketball transfer commit Cedric Coward, and his chances of arriving in Durham appear to be dwindling very quickly.

Coward posted impressive measurements upon his arrival in Chicago and his shooting statistics during drills on Tuesday only strengthened his case to be a first-round selection.

At one point, the Washington State transfer led the entire combine in the 3-point star shooting drill after making 68-percent of his shots (17-of-25) and made 72-percent of all his shots during drills, according to ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony.

However, things get much more interesting on Wednesday at the combine when players get to play 5-on-5 scrimmages instead of going through scripted drills and shooting against no defenders.

The problem for Duke is that Cedric Coward will not be on the floor. He opted not to play in the 5-on-5 scrimmages and will let his workouts continue to impress teams.

It’s not uncommon for top prospects to opt out of the 5-on-5 drills as Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach will not play and Kon Knueppel, had he been healthy enough to patriciate, also would not have played.

A surprising opt out from the scrimmages was Tyrese Proctor after it was revealed the projected second round pick was not placed on a team. Performing well in the exhibitions would give Proctor a chance to elevate his draft stock, instead he will sit out and home to impress teams during individual workouts.

There was not much buzz surrounding Proctor after Tuesday’s workouts.

The only player from Duke that will be participating in the 5-on-5 scrimmages is Sion James.

It still remains to be seen what Cedric Coward will decide to do but all indications from scouts and talent evaluators in Chicago are that he will remain in the NBA Draft and not play at Duke this season.