22 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 hats! Meiji predicts that Rockets will choose Coward for No. 10, template Kawhi Leonard

Some Rockets fans are optimistic about rookie Cedric Coward. In the last game of the season, he scored 22 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 caps, made 7 of 12 shots, 3 of 5 three-pointers, and 5 of 7 free throws, helping the team win.

John Fanta, a reporter of the American media "Fox Sports" who often pays attention to the NCAA, updated the 2025 rookie list, predicting that the Rockets will choose Coward with the No. 10 draw.

Coward, who was from Washington State University, was asked about his draft template in an interview with reporters. Coward believes that his template is Kawhi Leonard.

In addition to Leonard, Coward also compared himself to Mikal Bridges and Jaylen Williams.

Micar Bridges and Jaylen Williams are both players that many Rockets fans like. Many fans hope to exchange Jaylen Greena's first round pick for one of them.

Coward's performance in the joint trial won the attention of some draft experts and journalists, and his draft market rose, which reminds people of Jaylen Williams.

At the beginning, Jaylen Williams was considered to be not high by some NBA scouts. Later, he performed well in the trial training, and the market rose from the end of the first round to the middle of the first round. At that time, some Rockets fans hoped to choose Jaylen Williams with the No. 17 draw, but the Thunder took him away with the No. 12 draw.

Although the Rockets selected Tari Ethan with the No. 17 pick, he also won the title of Leonard Jr. But obviously Jaylen Williams has developed significantly better, and he is now an All-Star player with both offense and defense.

With the example of Jaylen Williams, some Rockets fans hope that Stone can use the 10th pick to train Coward.

Like Jaylen Williams, Coward is a bit older in the draft and will be 22 years old after the NBA starts next season. Coward is a swingman in the forward guard. He has a naked foot height of 1.96 and has an arm span of 2.19. This season, he has only played 6 times due to injury. He averaged 17.7 points, 7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.7 caps. His shooting percentage is 55.7%, his three-point shooting percentage is 40%, and his free throw shooting percentage is 83.9%.

Coward has excellent athletic ability, excellent arm-span, strong play style, and courage to fight physically. Not only can he finish at the basket, he also has good ability to catch and shoot, which can open up space for his teammates and averaged 2 three-pointers per game last season. Coward can read the game, he knows very well what he should do on the court, he will run off the ball and look for opportunities to cut and cooperate with his teammates. Coward has a passing vision, he can launch a fast break with a long pass, and he can also play the point guard and feed the inside the ball.

Defense is Coward's strength. He moves sideways well and can defend multiple positions. He can use his long arms to interfere with the opponent's shooting and find opportunities to complete the block.

Can shoot three-pointers, play without the ball, read games, pass balls, and defend, many of Coward's advantages will be loved by Rockets head coach Uduka. He also has the same problems as Amen and Ethan. He holds the ball and lacks independent offense. Coward's injury issues may also make some NBA executives hesitate.

Some fans believe that the Rockets should do their best to pursue the stars and not train rookies anymore. They hope to use the 2025 No. 10 sign to add Jaylen Green to exchange for Durant. The Suns really want to get their first round pick back from the Rockets, but general manager Stone seems to be not as interested in the veteran as fans imagine. On the other hand, Durant also has his own ideas.

Suns reporter John Gambadoro said in his latest podcast that he mentioned the Spurs when talking about his next home, according to people around Durant. Previously, some American media suggested that the Spurs take out Vassel, Barnes and the No. 14 picks to exchange for Durant.